Fight of Two Titanics

Published: 14 October 2000 y., Saturday
On the 8th of October in London for a long time waited match between the strongest chess player during the last fifteen years Garry Kasparov and the pretender for this title Vladimir Kramnik began. The match is said to be waited for a long time because it will determine who the strongest chess player on the planet is. Last time G.Kasparov fought for his title in 1995 when an Englishman Nigel Short pretended for the title of the champion. Then G.Kasparov has demolished the opponent easily, though he seemed to be dangerous before the competition. This time the fight is going to be very difficult, because differently from the other pretenders, up to now Vladimr Kramnik didn’t stand down. 23 parties were played and both of the players had gathered the same amount of points, that is 11,5. And it is obvious that the pretender feels absolutely normally while playing with the 37 years old champion. On the fifth of October during the press conference V.Kramnik didn’t speak much. He had only said that both of the players have chances to win and that he would do everything that depends on him in order to win the forthcoming match. The world champion on the contrary, spoke very talkative. He claimed that at his thirty-seven he’s got enough energy and he hopes to keep his title. Majority of the commentators say the opponents have equal opportunities to win, though the champion has a kind of advantage over the opponent. First of all this is because G.Kasparov has much more experience in matches and knows how to prepare properly for such a long distance. It is forecasted that G.Kasparov wins with the minimal scoring 8,5:7,5 or 9:7. During the survey that was hold at Lithuanian website of the tournaments on chess www.chess.lt , that translates this match on-line, almost 74% voted for Kasparov’s victory, 16% - for the draw game and 10 % thinks V.Kramnik will win the match. To my mind, the forecasts are a bit optimistically from the direction of the champion. He has not had such a serious opponent since the eighties when Anatolij Karpov was the twelfth almost invincible Chess champion. But the beginning of the duel seems to be more perspective for the pretender. During the first and the third party V.Kramnik played with the black chessmen and managed to defend in both of them. It’s true the champion has strengthened his position and the pretender managed to escape due to his quick wit only. But during the second party V.Kramnik has used up the advantage of the white chessmen and shot ahead. Peculiarity of G.Kasparov to concentrate more after the lost party is well known in the chess world. So it is very interesting how the champion who has been the winner for many years would feel lagging behind. Several more words should be said about the status of this match. The fact that the winner won’t be recognized as the official world champion is obvious, because G.Kasparov cancelled international chess federation (FIDE), which has its own world champion Alexander Khalifman from Russia. On the other hand two of the strongest world players meet during the match, and it will become clear who the strongest chess player on the planet, though not official, is.
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

Chris Brown speaks out

The singer Chris Brown, who's facing felony charges for allegedly beating his girlfriend Rihanna, say's he's no monster. The 20-year-old Brown shows up on a video posted on YouTube. more »

White tiger kills keeper

A wildlife park in the northern New Zealand city of Whangerai. Here a zoo keeper has been mauled to death by a white tiger. more »

Designer bags on a bargain budget

Bag-lovers on a budget have found the solution in, a Manila shop which offers second-hand luxury handbags at prices that won't break the bank. more »

Times Square goes traffic-free

New York's Times Square has just gotten a little less chaotic. Known for Broadway marquees, bright billboards and swarming traffic, the busy Manhattan area is taking a cue from European capitals and taking back a swath of pavement for pedestrians. more »

India's human remains horror

Children playing close to this dried up pond in India's Aligarh city made a horrific discovery. They found hundreds of human skulls and bones. Locals say the number of skeletons could be in their thousands. more »

Baby anteater stars in Japan

Tokyo's newest celebrity makes an apprehensive debut in front of the press. more »

Mickey Mouse voice artist dies

He may not look familiar but chances are you've heard his voice. Wayne Allwine - the long-time voice of Mickey Mouse has died aged 62 from complications from diabetes. more »

Jackson delays shows

Michael Jackson has delayed the opening four nights of his “This Is It” tour at London's O2 arena more »

“Sex and the City” star getting married

Cynthia Nixon - star of the popular “Sex and the City” show - announced her engagement to girlfriend Christine Marinoni. The 43-year-old actress says that she and Marinoni got engaged last month and plan to marry. more »

Victim of fame

Brooke Shields tells People Magazine that she's outraged that her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer, was checked out her nursing home by a freelance reporter looking to do a "tabloid" story. more »