World
Chess Championship in Bonn
The World Chess Championship took place from October 14 – 30, 2008, in
the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn. The
match was scheduled for twelve games, played under classical time controls:
120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then
15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional 30 seconds per move starting
from move 61. The prize fund is 1.5 million Euro (approximately 2.35 million
US Dollars) including taxes and FIDE license fees, and is split equally between
the players.
The match was won by the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who thus
retains his title. Anand beat the Challenger Vladimir Kramnik by a final score of
6.5:4.5. The games were broadcast live by FoidosChess,
with video and commentary for €10 per game; and on Playchess.com.
Picture Gallery from the final day in Bonn
Anand makes the first move of the eleventh game: 1.e4
1.e4 – but we spent all night preparing for 1.d4...
Anand gets a long, probing stare from Kramnik...
...who then leans back to consider his options: the Petroff? No, can't play
that...
1...c5 it is, the Sicilian. I must give him a tooth-and-nail fight for the title
The theater not completely packed on this Wednesday afternoon
In the press room the legendary Vlastimil Hort, former world championship
candidate
Dr Helmut Pfleger and Artur Yusupov commenting for the live audience
Suddenly the game is over – tournament director Josef Resch, flanked by
the obligatory
Evonik-Gazprom girls, speaks to the audience about its resounding
success
After that the prize-giving – Anand receives the big trophy (from
the FIDE honorary President Florencio Campomanes)
...and Kramnik receives the smaller runner-up award
At the press conference: Kramnik, Anand and the anchor Klaus Bischoff
Vladimir Kramnik at the press conference after the last game of the match
Naturally more upbeat: the old and new World Champion Viswanathan Anand
By the way, what does his name mean? Professor Stephen Jenkins of Arcata, USA.
explains: "Being trained in Sanskrit, I can tell you that the name Viswa-nathan
actually means "world-champion." Viswa means world and Nathan means
Lord or Master. It is usually an epithet of deities (Anand means joy or bliss).
So he is a World Champion named "World Champion!"
Stephan Andreae of the Art and Exhibition Hall shows off the new Anand t-shirt
Anand's oldest (and by far the tallest) second: Peter Heine Nielsen from Denmark
Anand second Rustam
Kasimdzhanov, who had produced a series of training
DVDs
The youngest second: Radoslaw Wojtaszek (whom everyone calls Radek)
An old friend and assistant of Anand: GM Surya Ganguly of India
The entire team poses for us: Kasim, Peter Heine, Surya, The Vish, Aruna and
Radek
The phone calls start pouring in (left: Hans Walter Schmitt, one of Anand's oldest
friends,
the organiser of the Chess
Classic in Mainz and President of the Chess
Tigers in Frankfurt).
Anand takes one call after another – most from the Indian media
Back in the hotel there is no reprieve: Aruna takes calls on three mobile phones
Visitors in the hotel: Kasim's wife Firuza and his two children
Firuza and Aruna with the youngest member of the Kasimdzhanov clan
Later that evening a relaxed dinner at a lovely Indian restaurant
Anand, Rustam and Surya
Radek, Heine and Aruna
Wife, companion, manager, moral supporter: Aruna Anand
A toast to the World Champion
Glasses clink and champagne is sipped: Anand has held on to his title
All pictures by Frederic Friedel and Wolfgang Rzychon in
Bonn
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