National events galore

THIS year's annual Malaysia-Singapore match will be played tomorrow at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur. According to Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Hamid Majid, there will be one round in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Previously, the annual match had been contested over four rounds but to reduce costs, the match has been trimmed to only one day. The morning games start at 9.30am and the afternoon games at 2.30pm.

The players who are expected to turn out for the Malaysian team are Mas Hafizulhelmi, Jimmy Liew, Mok Tze Meng, Ismail Ahmad, Ghalam Sani, Azhaari Mohd noor, Julian Navaratnam, Ahmad Maliki, Lim Cheng Teik, Tan Wei Sin, Mak Weng Yee, Ng Tze Han, Ng Ee Vern, Lim Yee Weng, Wong Zi Jing, Lim Chuin Hoong, Gerald Soh, Wong Zi Chuang, Jonathan Chuah and Ooi Ching Chung. The veterans will be represented by Choo Min Wang, Ghazali Che Cob, Foong Chee Leng and Mohd Jamil Yahya.

The women's team is expected to be made up of Nurul Huda Wahiduddin, Eliza Hanum Ibrahim, Eliza Hanim Ibrahim, Roslina Marmono, Samantha Lee, Hasanthy Loganathan, Lee Su Ann, Nor Asikin Mansor, Lim Jeannie, Nor Idani Saranon, Hazuin Hussain, Effalini Farid and Effaliana Farid.

The PWTC will also be the venue for this year's national age-group chess championship on July 4 and 5. There are five categories of play for the two-day event: the under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18 age sections. There will be seven rounds in each category, and a time control of one hour per player for each game will be used.

Entry fee is RM10 per player. Although there are no cash prizes, the winners of the various age-groups will get the chance to be considered for selection to the world age-group championships in Oporesa del Mar Castellon, Spain, this October.

Those interested in playing in this event should be in the PWTC foyer by 8am on July 4. Unless a player has registered earlier for the championship, those turning up at the PWTC on this day will only be accepted on a first-come first-served basis. For more details, contact Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Hamid Majid at 03-421 9576.

Meanwhile, the third Royal Selangor under-15 chess grand prix gets under way with the first leg on July 6. This event, organised by the Chess Association of Selangor (CAS), will be played at Sunway College in Petaling Jaya.

The grand prix event consists of four legs. The second leg will be held on July 12, the third leg on July 19 and the final leg on July 25 and 26. Each leg will be played over six rounds and a time control of 30 minutes per game for each player will be adopted.

Game points won by each player in each of these legs will be accumulated and the results of a player's best three legs will be used to determine the overall grand prix winner. The top four winners will each receive discount vouchers for a digital chess clock from the CAS. The two top winners will also be given free participation in a chess workshop conducted by the CAS and free entry to a CAS chess camp in November.

Entry fees for each leg are RM10 for junior CAS members and RM20 for non-members. For more information, contact Jackie Wong at 03-703 8237 or Lim Tse Pin at 03-733 0927.

Bayview Chess League results

IN the third round of the eighth Bayview Chess League last Sunday, Penang Free School A beat the Old Frees Association B 3-1 to retain their lead in the Premier Division.

Of their nearest rivals, Chung Ling High School A beat the MSSPP Juniors 3 1/2-1/2, while the Old Frees Association A beat Methodist Boys School 3 1/2-1/2. The Chung Ling Old Boys Association beat Chung Ling High School B 2 1/2-1 1/2, and Universiti Sains Malaysia drew 2-2 with Pessca.

The Division One results saw Penang Free School B whitewashing Chung Hwa Confucian A 4-0. The Penang Free School C-Union High School, the Penang Development Corporation-Penang Chess Association Novices and the St Xavier's Institution A-Chung Ling High School D matches all ended with similar 3-1 scores, while Chung Ling High School C beat Hewlett-Packard 2 1/2-1 1/2.

In Division Two, the MSSPP Girls set a blazing trail by scoring their second 4-0 win over Penang Chinese Girls High School. On the other hand, Westlands Secondary School suffered their second 0-4 loss, this time at the hands of Penang Free School D. Chung Hwa Confucian School B went down 1 1/2-2 1/2 to St Xavier's Institution B, while the Police beat Dynacraft 3-1. Chung Ling High School E drew 2-2 with Methodist Boys School B.

Premier Division: PFS A (10 1/2 pts); CLHS A, OFA A (9 pts each); CLOBA (8 1/2); MSSPP Juniors (5 1/2); MBS A, Pessca (4 1/2 each); USM (3); OFA B, CLHS B (2 1/2 each).

Division One: PFS B (11 1/2); SXI A (10); CLHS C (9 1/2); PDC (7); CLHS D (5); PCA Novices (4 1/2); PFS C (4); Hewlett-Packard (3 1/2); Chung Hwa A (3); Union (2).

Division Two: MSSPP Girls (11); Police (9); Chung Hwa B, SXI B, PFS D (7 1/2 each); CLHS E (6); MBS B (5); Dynacraft (3); PCGHS (2); Westlands (1 1/2).

The Bayview Chess League takes a week-long break; the fourth round will only be played on July 5 at The City Bayview Hotel's revolving restaurant. The hotel is sponsoring the use of its premises for the weekly games.

The break will be used by the Penang Chess Association (PCA) to organise the first leg of its second Penang grand prix chess circuit. This event will be held this Sunday at the Bayan Baru Residents Association clubhouse. Only paid-up members of the PCA are allowed to take part in this circuit.

The circuit is divided into four preliminary legs and a final. Each of the preliminary legs will be a six-round event using a 30-minute time control.

For these legs, the prizes include RM200 for the winner, RM120 for the runners-up and RM80 for the third-placed. There are five other minor cash prizes, and also prizes for the best junior and woman players. The entry fee is RM10 per player.

Besides the cash prizes, the top players from each leg will be awarded GP points. Ten finalists are selected according to the total GP points accumulated by the players from their best three legs. Entry to the final will be by qualification only. The final will be a round-robin tournament with a one-hour time control. The winner will receive RM400 and a challenge trophy, the second-prize is RM200, third RM100, and fourth and fifth RM50 each.

Further details of this grand prix chess circuit and also the results of the Bayview Chess League can be obtained from the PCA homepage at www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/

World chess chief eyes Russian presidency

ACCORDING to an Associated Press report from Moscow last week, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the president of the World Chess Federation and the southern Kalmykia republic in Russia, has said that he will seek the Russian presidency in the year 2000.

Ilyumzhinov made the announcement when interviewed on the Russian television programme Obozrevatel .

The AP report quoted Ilyumzhinov as saying that he would either form his own party, "relying on the regions and young people," or align himself with an existing party such as the Communists or the Agrarians.

One of his first tasks will be to raise his profile outside Kalmykia, a resource-rich region on the steppes of southern Russia.

Russian president Boris Yeltsin has repeatedly said he plans to step down after the end of his current term, but Yeltsin's aides have also been hinting that the 67-year-old leader might run again.

Other potential candidates include former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and former national security chief Alexander Lebed.

Kalmykia played host to the World Chess Federation championships in 1996, and is set to organise the Chess Olympiad in October.

 

New dates for event

THE Malaysian Chess Federation has fixed July 4 and 5 for this year's national age-group chess championship. This event, which was originally supposed to have been held in Shah Alam, Selangor, earlier this month, will now be played at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

There will be five categories of play for the event: the under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18 sections. Each participant will be charged an entry fee of RM10. Although there are no cash prizes, winners will get the opportunity to be selected for the world age-group championships later in the year.

Those interested in playing in this event should be in PWTC's foyer by 8am on July 4. For more details, contact Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Hamid Majid ( 03-421 9576).

Other matches coming up include the first leg of the Penang Chess Association's second Penang grand prix chess circuit . It will be held on June 28 at the clubhouse of the Bayan Baru Residents' Association in Bandar Bayan Baru. Only paid-up members of the PCA are allowed to take part in this circuit.

The circuit is divided into four preliminary legs and a final; each of the preliminary legs will be a six-round event using a 30-minute time control.

For these legs, the prizes include RM200 for the winner, RM120 for the runners-up and RM80 for those placed third. There are five other minor cash prizes, and also prizes for the best junior and woman players. The entry fee is RM10 per player.

Besides the cash prizes, the top players from each leg will be awarded Grand Prix points. Ten finalists will be selected according to the total GP points accummulated from the best three legs. Entry to the final will be by qualification only.

The final will be a round-robin tournament with a one-hour time control. The winner will receive RM400 and a challenge trophy; the second prize is RM200; third RM100; and fourth and fifth RM50 each.

Details of this circuit can also be obtained from the PCA homepage at ( www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/ ).

Bayview chess league results

In the second round of the eighth Bayview Chess League last Sunday, Penang Free School "A" took a significant lead in the Premier Division after scoring a 3 1/2-1/2 victory over Pessca.

Their two nearest rivals were Chung Ling High School "A" and Chung Ling Old Boys Association. The CLHS team played the Old Frees Association "A" to a 2-2 draw, while the CLOBA beat Universiti Sains Malaysia 3-1.

Two other matches also ended with the same 3-1 scoreline: Methodist Boys School beat Chung Ling High School "B", and the MSSPP (Penang Schools' Sports Council) Juniors pulled off a surprising win against the Old Frees Association "B".

The Division One results saw Penang Free School "B" taking a slim lead after whitewashing their "C" team 4-0. CLHS "C" also scored 4-0 against Chung Hwa Confucian School "A".

The matches between CLHS "D" and Hewlett-Packard, St Xavier's Institution "A" and Penang Development Corporation, and the Penang Chess Association Novices and Union High School all ended in 3-1 results.

In Division Two, the MSSPP Girls scored a thrilling 4-0 win over Westlands Secondary School, Chung Hwa Confucian School "B" handily despatched Dynacraft 4-0, and St Xavier's "B" beat Penang Chinese Girls High School 4-0. Polis Di Raja Malaysia scored a 3-1 win over Methodist Boys School "B" 3-1, while PFS "D" narrowly beat CLHS "E" by 2 1/2-1 1/2.

Standings

Premier Division: PFS "A" 7 1/2 pts; CLHS "A", CLOBA 6 pts each; OFA "A" 5 1/2 pts; MSSPP Juniors 5 pts; MBS "A" 4 pts; Pessca 2 1/2 pts; OFA "B" 1 1/2 pts; USM and CLHS "B" 1 pt each.

Division One: PFS "B" 7 1/2 pts; SXI "A", CLHS "C" 7 pts each; PDC, CLHS "D" 4 pts each; PCA Novices 3 1/2 pts; CHCS "A" 3 pts; HP 2 pts; PFS "C", UHS 1 pt each.

Division Two: MSSPP Girls 7 pts; Polis, CHCS "B" 6 pts; SXI "B" 5 pts; CLHS "E" 4 pts; PFS "D" 3 1/2 pts; MBS "B" 3 pts; Dynacraft, PCGHS 2 pts each; Westlands 1 1/2 pts.

The third round of the chess league will be played this Sunday beginning at 10am at The City Bayview Hotel's revolving restaurant on the 15th floor. The hotel is sponsoring the use of its premises for the weekly games.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

ALEXEI Shirov displayed flashes of brilliance in beating Vladimir Kramnik 5 1/2-3 1/2 in a match held in Cazorla, Spain, earlier this month. Events came to an abrupt end after Shirov won the ninth game to take an unassailable lead in a match which had originally been scheduled for 10 games.

The win over Kramnik, whom many people had predicted would prevail in this match, means that Shirov is poised to collect his biggest ever paycheck when he meets Gary Kasparov in a match this October. This match will be organised by the so-called World Chess Council, a body formed by Kasparov and Luis Rentero to provide Kasparov with a channel to play.

We left off two weeks ago when the score was 3 1/2-2 1/2 in Shirov's favour after six games. Shirov, a former world junior champion, had won the fourth game with the other games ended drawn. Two further draws ensued in the seventh and eighth games, then Shirov won again in the ninth game. Here are the remaining three games of the match.

Kramnik - Shirov, Game 7

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Nc3 d5 6.Qb3 0-0 7.Bg2 Qb6 8.0-0 Bf5 9.Ne5 e6 10.Bf4 Nbd7 11.Qxb6 axb6 12.f3 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 g5 14.e4 Bg6 15.b3 Rfd8 16.Rfd1 dxe4 17.fxe4 Ng4 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Bf3 h5 20.Rd2 Ne5 21.Bg2 c5 22.d5 Nc6 23.Rad1 Nd4 24.e5 exd5 25.cxd5 Re8 26.Re1 Nc2 27.Ree2 Nd4 28.Re1 Nc2 29.Rxc2 Bxc2 30.d6 Bf5 31.Bxb7 Rad8 32.Bc6 Re6 33.Bd5 Rdxd6 34.Bxe6 1/2-1/2

Shirov - Kramnik, Game 8

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Qxe2+ 8.Bxe2 g6 9.Nd4 a6 10.h3 Bg7 11.g4 Bd7 12.Bf3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Bd2 h5 16.g5 Nd5 17.Nxd5 cxd5 18.0-0-0 Kd7 1/2-1/2

Kramnik - Shirov, Game 9

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 e5 9.d5 c6 10.h4 h5 11.Be2 cxd5 12.exd5 N8d7 13.d6 Nf6 14.Bg5 Re8 15.Rd1 Be6 16.Nh3 Nc4 17.Bxc4 Bxc4 18.b3 Ba6 19.Nd5 e4! 20.Nxf6+Bxf6 21.d7 Qb6!! 22.dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 23.Qe3 Bxg5 24.Qxb6 Bxh4+ 25.Kd2 axb6 26.fxe4 Rxe4 27.Kc2 Rg4 28.Rd2 Be7 29.Rg1 Kg7 30.Nf2 Rf4 31.Nd3 Re4 32.Rgd1 Bb5 33.a4 Bc6 34.Re1 Rxe1 35.Nxe1 Bb4 36.Re2 Bxe1 37.Rxe1 Bxg2 38.Kd2 h4 39.Ke3 Bd5 40.b4 h3 41.Re2 f5 42.Rd2 Be4 43.Kf4 Bg2 44.Rd7+ Kf6 45.Rh7 g5+ 46.Kg3 f4+ 47.Kg4 Ke5 48.b5 0-1

 

May's many events

THERE are a number of local events to report on this week, and I shall start with the Royal Selangor Open which was played in Petaling Jaya late last month.

The tournament was taken by local schoolboy Lim Yee Weng who won the nine-round event handily. He had a slow start, suffering a shock second round defeat at the hands of Terengganu's Mohamad Arshad, but as the tournament progressed, Lim showed enough resilience in his games.

He kept pace with the tournament leaders and by the eighth round, had hauled himself within reach of the winner's purse. He defeated Ismail Ahmad in the final round of the tournament to finish with 7 1/2 points. Along the way, he had also defeated Khor Shihong, Agus Salim, Ng Ee Vern and last year's winner, Mok Tze Meng. Lim's only draw was with Kamaluddin Yusof.

Mok had a breezy start, winning his first five games before being held to draws in the sixth and seventh rounds by Julian Navaratnam and Ahmad Maliki. However, a loss to Lim in the eighth round effectively ended his quest for another Royal Selangor chess title. Mok had to settle for a third draw with Jimmy Liew in the final round to take the second prize with 6 1/2 points.

Four other players -- Ng Ee Vern, Ismail Ahmad, Kamaluddin Yusof and Ghalam Sani -- also scored 6 1/2 points while Jimmy Liew, Law Zhe Khang and Mustafa Kamal Huri obtained six points each. This tournament must have been a disappointment for Liew; apart from a loss to Ghalam Sani, he was held to draws in four games.

The Royal Selangor open tournament was just one of several events organised by the Chess Association of Selangor (CAS) to commemorate its silver jubilee. At the start of May, CAS had held its Royal Selangor Juniors Open for the under-10, under-14 and under-18 age groups. The under-12, under-16 and under-20 events have been organised in mid-May.

The under-12 event which attracted 74 entries was won by Jonathan Chuah who swept all his seven games for maximum points. In joint second place were Wong Zi Chuang, Lim Choo Seng and Chan Tze Wei with six points each, while five points went to Effazuwan Farid, Ooi Ching Chung, Ahmad Hafiz, Low Chung Peng, Lim Han Ying, Nishaah, Ungku Iskandar, Kow Wen Fey, Lim Tao Sheng and Mohd Irman.

In the under-16 section, Lim Yee Weng again proved a notch over the rest of the players by winning the event with 6 1/2 points from seven games. Second was Law Zhe Khang with six points, while in joint third to seventh places were Lee Su Ann, Effawira Farid, Soh Hui Siang, Effahrin Farid and Thaw Chee Yin with five points each. There were 41 participants.

There were only 28 players in the under-20 event and this was won by Mak Weng Yee with six points. Joint second to fourth were Chua Lin Kiat, Lim Kweng Seng and Premnanth with five points each.

CAS also held a round-robin team event for institutions of higher learning, and the champion team was the International Islamic Universiti A which scored 24 points. In second place was Universiti Malaya with 22 1/2 points.

Bayview League

THE eighth Penang Bayview Chess League squared off last Sunday at the City Bayview Hotel with a record 30 teams taking part. The teams will be locked in a nine-round contest which is played on Sundays until Aug 16. The City Bayview Hotel is sponsoring the use of their hotel premises for the games.

In the first round of the Premier Division last Sunday, Chung Ling High School A crushed their B team 4-0, while Penang Free School A also won 4-0 against Universiti Sains Malaysia. Old Frees Association A beat their B team by 3 1/2-1/2, while methodist Boys School A defeated Chung Ling Old Boys Association 3-1. The match between MSSPP Juniors and Pessca was drawn 2-2.

The Division One results saw St Xavier's Institution A beating Union High School 4-0, and Penang Free School B winning 3 1/2-1/2 against the Penang Chess Association Novices team.

The other three matches in this division -- Chung Hwa High School A vs Penang Free School C, Penang Development Corporation vs Hewlett Packard, and Chung Ling High School C vs their D team -- all ended in 3-1 scores.

In Division Two, the MSSPP Girls team beat St Xavier's Institution B and the Police beat Penang Free School D by 3-1 results. Chung Ling High School E narrowly beat Westlands Secondary School 2 1/2-1 1/2, while two matches -- Chung Hwa B vs Methodist Boys School B and Penang Chinese Girls High School vs Dynacraft -- were drawn 3-1.

The second round will be played this Sunday morning beginning 10am at the hotel's Revolving Restaurant on the 15th floor.

Klang team event

THERE will be a two-day open team chess tournament for school students starting tomorrow at the SM Tengku Ampuan Rahimah in Klang. This is a six-round event with a time control of 45 minutes per player for each game. Each team can have only four players.

Registration of teams will be from 8am tomorrow and the first round is expected to start at 9.30am. For more details, contact Lee Kok Foong (03-332 1020), Law Zhe Khang (03-331 4160) or Edwin Lam (03-343 4792).

Penang GP

THE Penang Chess Association will organise their second Penang grand prix chess circuit this year, and the first of four legs will be held on June 28 at the Bayan Baru Residents Association clubhouse. Only paid-up members of the PCA can take part in this circuit.

According to organising secretary Goh Yoon Wah, the circuit is to provide playing opportunities and training to PCA members throughout the year, as well as rating and selecting players for representing the state.

The circuit is divided into four preliminary legs and a final. Each of the preliminary legs will be a six-round event using a 30-minute time control.

For these legs, the prizes include RM200 for the winner, RM120 for the runners-up and RM80 for the third-placed. There are five other minor cash prizes, and also prizes for the best junior and woman players. Entry fee is RM10 per player.

Besides cash prizes, the top players from each leg will be awarded GP points. For example, the winner will be given 1,000 GP points, the second-placed 900 GP points, and so on until the 10th-place winner who shall receive 100 GP points.

The 10 finalists are determined by the total GP points accummulated by the players from their best three legs. Entry to the final will be by qualification only. The final will be a round-robin tournament with a one-hour time control. The winner will receive RM400 and a challenge trophy; the second-prize is RM200; third, RM100; and fourth and fifth, RM50 each.

Details of this circuit can also be obtained from the PCA homepage at www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/2379/

 

Age group event put off

THE national age-group championship, due to be played this weekend, has been postponed to next month, according to Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Hamid Majid.

Hamid, who had just returned from Iran where he accompanied Malaysia's top player, Mas Hafizulhelmi, to the Asian junior championship, apologised for the postponement. He said there was insufficient time to organise the national age-group event effectively.

The new dates for this event will be announced later.

Bayview League starts on Sunday

The eighth Penang Bayview Chess League kicks off at 10am this Sunday at the City Bayview Hotel's Revolving Restaurant. This year's league sees a record of 30 teams participating in the 12-week event which is played every Sunday until mid-August.

Because of the large number of entries, the Penang Chess Association has divided the teams into the Premier, First and Second Divisions.

Entry fees are RM150 per team. There will be cash prizes for the top teams in each of the three divisions.

Meanwhile, State Executive Councillor Dr Toh Kin Woon has been re-elected president of the Penang Chess Association for a two-year term. Wong Mun Hoe was re-elected vice-president, Ooi Kiem Boo as secretary and Goh Yoon Wah as treasurer.

The new assistant secretary is Chan Kim Beng, while Chuah Soon Pheng, Eoh Hook Kim, Khor Bean Hwa, Dr Lim Boon Liang, Quah Seng Sun and Tan Hock Lye have been elected as committee members.

Perak grand prix

The Perak International Chess Association will hold the fifth stage of their nine-leg chess grand prix at Taman Dr Seenivasagam in Ipoh this Sunday.

Six rounds are scheduled for the one-day event, and the time control will be 25 minutes per player for each game. This event is open to all chess enthusiasts in the state.

The overall grand prix standings will be based on the best five tournament performances of each player and the top 24 players at the end of the series will qualify for the Perak state championship in September. The interim grand prix standings will also be used for selecting Perak players to national events like the Merdeka team championship.

Those interested in playing this weekend must register at the playing venue by 8.15am on Sunday. For details, contact W.K. Wong ( 05-366-1692).

Playing sessions in Johor

The Johor Chess Association meets weekly at Level One of the Leisure Mall in Taman Pelangi, Johor Baru. Tournaments and coaching sessions are available for beginners.

Anyone interested can contact Soh Zee Wee ( 07-354-5418 after 8pm) or just turn up at the Chess Corner from 3pm to 5pm every Saturday.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

I find the Internet to be the perfect medium for chess. Not only can I play online chess with someone across the globe, but I can also visit the official tournament websites to find out more about international chess events.

One event, though, has eluded me lately. I would have thought that an event as significant as the Kramnik-Shirov match now taking place in Cazorla, Spain, would be worthy of a web page.

But, no! The unpredictable Luis Rentero, who formed the World Chess Council with Gary Kasparov, had decided that there would be no official coverage of the match on the Internet! According to a report from Spain, this has made the mayor of Cazorla rather unhappy since the town is not getting the worldwide publicity it wanted.

But it is not a total loss. The Spanish newspapers are following the match quite closely and there are sites such as http://www.elpais.es (the online edition of the Spanish newspaper, El Pais) or http://visitweb.com/wcc which give the results and game scores. Pretty good, if you happen to speak or read the Spanish language.

So where does this leave us, who know no Spanish? Luckily, there are two rather dependable websites to visit: firstly, Mark Crowther's This Week In Chess at http://www.chesscenter.com/twic and secondly, the Chess Planet site at http://www.chessweb.com. These two web addresses provide reasonable coverage of the match.

Meanwhile, back in Cazorla, their local hero Alexei Shirov is leading pre-match favourite Vladimir Kramnik by a 3 1/2-2 1/2 score after six games in the 10-game match.

Last week, I gave the first game of the match which was drawn by the players after 25 moves. The second and third games of the match were also drawn. Then, in the fourth game, Shirov drew the first blood when he beat Kramnik. After that, both players settled down to draw their fifth and sixth games.

Alexei Shirov - Vladimir Kramnik, Game 2

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxd7 Bxd7 7. O-O Bd6 8. Nc3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Qh5 f5 11. Rb1 b6 12. Re1 c6 13. Bg5 Qc7 14. c4 Be8 15. Qh3 dxc4 16. Bxc4+ Bf7 17. Be6 Bxe6 18. Rxe6 Rae8 19. Qb3 Rxe6 20. Qxe6+ Rf7 21. Qe8+ Rf8 22. Qe6+ Rf7 23. Qe8+ Rf8 1/2-1/2

Vladimir Kramnik - Alexei Shirov, Game 3

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 c5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13. fxg4 Rxf1+ 14. Kxf1 cxd4 15. cxd4 e5 16. d5 Nc4 17. Qd3 Nxe3+ 18. Qxe3 Qh4 19. h3 Bh6 20. Qd3 Rf8+ 21. Kg1 Qf2+ 22. Kh1 Qe3 23. Qxe3 Bxe3 24. Rd1 Rf2 25. Ng1 Kf7 26. Rd3 Bb6 27. Rf3+ Ke7 28. Rxf2 Bxf2 29. Nf3 Kd6 30. g3 Bxg3 31. Kg2 Bf4 32. Kf2 Kc5 33. Ke2 b5 34. Kd3 1/2-1/2

Alexei Shirov - Vladimir Kramnik, Game 4

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxd7 Bxd7 7. O-O Bd6 8. c4 c6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Qh5 O-O 11. Qxd5 Bc6 12. Qh5 g6 13. Qh3 Ng5 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15. Nc3 Rfe8 16. d5 Bxd5 17. f4 Qd8 18. Nxd5 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 Qxd5 20. Rac1 Be3 21. Bc4 Qf5 22. Qxf5 gxf5 23. Rcd1 Rad8 24. g3 Bd4 25. b3 Bf6 26. Bb5 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Rd8 28. Rc1 Rd5 29. a4 Bd8 30. Rc8 Kg7 31. Rb8 Bb6 32. Rxb7 Rd1+ 33. Kg2 Rd2+ 34. Kh3 Bg1 35. g4 Bxh2 36. gxf5 h5 37. Kh4 Bxf4 38. Kxh5 Kf6 39. Bc4 Kxf5 40. Rxf7+ Ke4 41. Rxa7 Be5 42. Bf1 Rf2 43. Bh3 Rf8 44. Be6 Rf1 45. Rd7 Rh1+ 46. Kg6 Rg1+ 47. Kf7 Rg7+ 48. Ke8 Rxd7 49. Kxd7 Bc3 50. Kc6 Ke5 51. Bg8 Be1 52. Kb6!! Bf2+ 53. Ka6 Kd6 54. a5 Kc7 55. b4 Kc6 56. b5+ Kc5 57. b6 Kb4 58. b7 Bg3 59. Kb6 Bf2+ 60. Kc6 Ba7 61. a6 Ka5 62. Bc4 Bb8 63. Bf1 1-0

Vladimir Kramnik - Alexei Shirov, Game 5

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bd3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Be6 14. Rc1 Bxa2 15. Qa4 Bb3 16. Qb4 b6 17. Bg5 f6 18. Bh4 Qd6 19. Qxd6 exd6 20. d5 f5 21. exf5 gxf5 22. Ng3 Bb2 23. Nxf5 Bc4 24. Ne7+ Kh8 25. Bxc4 Rf4 26. Bg5 Rxc4 27. Rce1 Rc2 28. Nf5 Nc4 29. Re6 Rf8 30. Nxd6 Nxd6 31. Rxd6 Re8 32. Rd1 Ree2 33. Kh1 Rxg2 34. Rd8+ Kg7 35. Bf4 Bf6 36. Ra8 Bg5 37. Be5+ Bf6 38. Bf4 Bg5 39. Rxa7+ Kg6 40. Ra8 Kf7 41. Ra7+ Kg6 42. Bb8 h5 43. Rb7 Be3 44. Re7 Bc5 45. Re6+ Kg5 46. Re4 Kf5 47. Bf4 Rge2 48. Rxe2 Rxe2 49. Bg3 Re8 50. Kg2 Rd8 51. Kh3 Rd7 52. d6 h4 53. Rd5+ Ke6 54. Re5+ Kf6 55. Kxh4 Rh7+ 56. Rh5 Rxh5+ 57. Kxh5 b5 58. d7 Ke7 59. Be5 Kxd7 60. Bb2 Ke6 61. Kg6 Bd6 62. h4 b4 63. h5 Bf4 64. h6 Bxh6 65. Kxh6 Kf5 1/2-1/2

Alexei Shirov - Vladimir Kramnik, Game 6

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Bc4 Bc5 6. Nxe5 d5 7. Bxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 O-O 9. c3 Re8 10. cxd4 Bxd4 11. O-O Rxe5 12. d3 c6 13. Nf4 b6 14. Qc2 Rc5 15. Qe2 Ba6 16. Be3 Qd6 17. Rac1 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Be5 1/2-1/2