Shirov and Anand exchanged pairs of pieces without either side looking like making any progress and the presence of opposite bishops made matters even more drawish.
Kramnik's quiet opening and the early exchange of queens didn't seem particularly threatening at first, but once he traded light-squared bishops he had access to some useful squares for his knights such as b5. Carlsen's attempts to activate didn't help matters as Kramnik kept control. In the final position Carlsen resigned as he is lacking any sort of reasonable move while White can merrily penetrate with his king and queen's rook.
Here is a summary of today's first round games:
| Name | Rating | Country | Result | Name | Rating | Country | Opening | Moves |
| Alexei Shirov | 2749 | ESP | 0.5-0.5 | Viswanathan Anand | 2800 | IND | Spanish Berlin | 41 |
| Vladimir Kramnik | 2780 | RUS | 1-0 | Magnus Carlsen | 2826 | NOR | Queen's Indian Defence | 45 |
The second round pairings are as follows:
| Name | Rating | Country | Result | Name | Rating | Country | Opening | Moves |
| Magnus Carlsen | 2826 | NOR | - | Viswanathan Anand | 2800 | IND | ||
| Vladimir Kramnik | 2780 | RUS | - | Alexei Shirov | 2749 | ESP |
So after one round Kramnik has 3 points, Anand and Shirov 1 apiece and Carlsen 0.
More Elo points bite the dust for the Norwegian. Can he stem the tide tomorrow?
For more information go to the
There will be a rest day on Tuesday the 12th, but otherwise you will be able to watch the games live each day from the following times:
4.30 pm (Bilbao, Paris)
3.30 pm (London)
6.30 pm (Moscow)
11.30 am (New York)
8.30 am (Los Angeles)
