Accorrding to chessbase.com, FIDE congress which being held in Halkidiki from 11th-18th October 2009 has yesterday awarded the 2010 Anand-Topalov World Championship match to Sofia, Bulgaria after a guaranteed letter by the country president which promised to bear the total cost ( three millions Euros) of organising the match. The other candidates - Singapore and Turkey was reported to purposed a lower sum.
I really hope that Singapore will win and probably local fan and i can be at Singapore to watch the historic world championship match!?
Anand (photo right) from India has become the undisputed World Chess Champion after drawing Russian - Vladimir Kramnik in game 11 to made the score 6.5-4.5 points. 
Anand choose the Richter-Rauzer Variation 6...e6 7.f4 Qc7 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.f5 Qc5 quite a weird move. Chess opening principle forbidden us to move the queen frequently before the minor piece . Possible continuation is 10.Nb3 Qe3+ 11.Qe2 Bh6 . According to IM Malcom Pein, Kramnik played 9...Qc5 because he want to avoid 10.fxe6 fxe6 11.Qh5+ 10.Qd3 Nc6 I think if Kramnik can force to exchange the queen as soon as possible . He will have good chance due to his bishop pairs advantage! 11.Nb3 Qe5 12.0-0-0 !? 
quite an interesting move. Kavalek-Chandler Bundesliga, 1982 continue with 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.0-0-0 12...exf5 Kramnik accept white pawn sacrifiece. possible continuation is 13.exf5 Bxf5 14.Qf3 with initiative. IM Malcom Pien was shock with Kramnik reply because it seems that black has ruin his pawn structure. Black now have 5 pawn island and a triple f pawn where as white have only two pawn island and both are connected. However black do have the bishop pair and a pawn up! 13.Qe3 a weird move because usually u won't let your queen and king in the same dark square diaganol when your opponent dark square bishop is around. Of course Anand won't fell with cheap threat like 13...h5 and 14...Bh6+ but still.... 13...Bg7 14.Rd5 Qe7 15.Qg3 Rg8 16.Qf4 fxe4 17.Nxe4 f5 18.Nxd6+ Kf8 19.Nxc8 Rxc8 20.Kb1 Qe1+ 21.Nc1 Ne7 22.Qd2 Qxd2 23.Rxd2 Bh6 24.Rf2 Be3 1/2-1/2 game drawn!!!! A dubious desicion by Kramnik. The position is pretty equal but why Kramnik agree for a draw? He had nothing to lose to proceed the game...probably he are so tired with the Championship and the preparation that he decide to finish it early and ...probably take a vacation!? 
According to GM Gregory Kaidanov on Internet Chess Club (ICC) broadcast, this move is a novelty. I think white has a very-very slight advantage due to his bishop pairs but the advantage is far from permanent because black should have the opportunity to exchange pieces later. 18...c5 Anand took nearly 15 minutes to reply against Kramnik novelty. 19.Qa5 Rfc8 20.Be3 Be2
Black is planning to exchange white bishop on g2 with ...Bf3 21.Bf4 e5 22.Be3 Bg4 23.Qa6 f6 24.a4 Qf7 
It seems that Kramnik is enjoying the position. He has the bishop pairs and all his piece = ecxcept his bishop on g2 is active. Black in contras is not properly coordinated. I think Anand is having a first serious problem in this match! 25.Bf1 Be6 Anand have about 14 minutes for his remaining 15 moves to reach the first time control and..his position is difficult-a first win for Kramnik !? 26.Rab1 c4 ?!
Fritz 11 condem Anand last move. The computer suggest 27.a5 Nd7 28.Rb7 penetrating black position! 27.a5 Na4 28.Rb7 Qe8 29.Qd6 thretening 30...Re7 to win the e6 bishop 1-0 Anand Resign!!! So early ? Probably his time trouble is the reason. Anand know that he is losing so he prevent from resigning in totally hopeless position and take early rest to recover for next two game.
Anand and Kramnik draw their 9th game of the World Championship 2008 last night. Anand now is leading the match with 6 - 3 and only need half point ( one draw ) from the remaining 3 games to confirm the title whereas Kramnik need to won all his remaining games ( Game 10,11,12) to level the score and play the tie breaker . For me, Anand is now "one hand holding the trophy"!
The anti Moscow Variation. White sacrifiece a pawn for active development. 6...dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.Qc2 Anand wisely not choose 10.0-0 which played succesfully by Topalov who beat Kramnik with his famous novelty 12.Nxf7 which Kramnik surely have studied it intensively. 10...Nbd7 11.Rd1 Bb4 12.Ne5 Qe7 probably a novelty. Fritz opening book suggest 12...Rg8 13.0–0 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 0–0
I'm watching two live game simultenously - Anand - Kramnik - World Championship and Liverpool-Chelsea -English Premier League ...actually IM Malcom Pien did the same also !
Fritz gave black a slight advantage here but i bet all human player prefer to play white here! 16...Qg7 17.e5 c5 !? Kramnik need to complicate the game for better chance of winning the game. The black's bishop at b7 and queen on g7 is targeting white vulnarable g2 square! 18.Nxb5 cxd4 19.Qxc4 a5 20.Kh1 Rac8 21.Qxd4 gxf4 22.Bf3 Ba6 23.a4 Rc5 24.Qxf4 Rxe5 25.b3 Bxb5 26.axb5 Rxb5 27.Be4 Bc3 28.Bc2 Be5 29.Qf2 Bb8 30.Qf3 Rc5 31.Bd3 Rc3 32.g3 Kh8 33.Qb7 f5 34.Qb6 Qe5 35.Qb7 Qc7 36.Qxc7 Bxc7 37.Bc4 Re8 38.Rd7 
After trailing 3 points down with 5 game left, Kramnik have to do something especially with the white piece if he want to at least force the match into a tie break! 32...f5 i like this move compare to open the position with 32...fxe5. 32...f5 close the kingside and white rook is prevented from helping his queen to attck black king! 33.Qf6+ Kg8 34.Qg5+ Kh8 35.Qf6+ Kg8 36.Re2 Qc4 37.Qg5+ Kh8 38.Qf6+ Kg8 39.Qg5+ Kh8 40.g4 fxg4 41.Qf6+ Kg8 42.f5 ½–½
Anand on his way to play 10.e4. Photo from chessvibes.com
This pawn sacrifice is well known in this line. Black will have problem to castle if he accept the sac, e.g 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nxe4 12.Ba3! 10...0–0 11.Bd3 Bh5 12.e5 Nd5 13.Nxd5 cxd5 14.Qe3 Re8 Kramnik repeat the same move he play in his 1st tie-break game against Topalov in the 2006 World Championship in Elista. In game 2 in the same tournament, he choose 14...Bg6 . 15.Ne1 Bg6 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.Nd3 Qb6 18.Nxb4 Qxb4 19.b3 Rac8 20.Ba3 Qc3 21.Rac1 Qxe3 22.fxe3 f6 23.Bd6 g5 24.h3 Kf7 25.Kf2 Kg6 26.Ke2 fxe5 27.dxe5 b6 28.b4 Rc4!? 
An interesting move to analyze. Kramnik is surely playing for a win- even with black after trailing 1.5-4.5. After the obvious 29.Rxc4 dxc4 the c4 passed pawn is a possible target though black can support it with a6-b5 and Rc8 29.Rxc4 dxc4 30.Rc1 Rc8 31.g4 a5
probably a novelty. Fritz 11 opening book list 9.e3 9...b6 9.g4 consistent with his previous move. White will fiancheto his bishop on g2 later. 9...Qa5 11.Rc1 Bb7 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Qd5 14.Qxd5 Nxd5 15.Bd2 white keep his bishop pairs.
According to the official site, Former World Champion - Anatoly Karpov (photo right) will make the opening move for tonight game 6 Anand - Kramnik.
Forget his (unsuccessful !?) seconder ( Leko, Rublevsky., Laurent Fressinet ..or even Kasparov advise ) , Kramnik probably need "help" from his wife - Marie-Laure Germon photo right - A French newspaper journalist to increase back his confident and stability after unsuccessful match so far. Kramnik is trailing Anand 1.5-3.5 after his second lost with white piece in game 5 and there's 7 game left to safe the match .
Lets evaluate the position. The material is even. Both have the same numbers of pawns, bishop, knight, rook , queens and of course the kings :). However, the main difference is the structure. Black king is stuck in the centre ..he can't castle anymore but it doesn't mean that his "counterpart" is having a safe heaven behind the pawn wall ( h2,g2,f2). This is because black has a few pieces and pawn which aim at the white king. ( Rg8, Bb7 and pawn f4 which thretening f4-f3). One more points is white has a pawn majority in the queenside. ( 2 connected passed pawns on queenside - the a and b pawn, where as black pawn majority in the centre is difficult to mobilize because it will only exposed his king further. One more thing, black has a double pawn on f file! I think this is a dynamic equal position . 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Ra1 Qc5 25.Qg4 Qe5 26.Nf3 Qf6?
It's look like this move simply blunder a pawn after 27.Nxd4 Qxd4 28.Rd1 Qe5 29.Rxd7 27 Re1? Kramnik think about 5 minutes over this move and reject 27.Nxd4...why? 27...Rc5 28.b4 Rc3 !? Anand set a clever trap which...
Kramnik ( photo right - in his feel good "teenager days") is trailing Anand by one point and he must have been thinking for the whole rest day today ...what to play against Anand tomorrow?
i can't understand this move. [ of course, i'm unrated and Kramnik is Former World Champion however i have "strong GM - Mr Fritz and Rybka" on my side! :) ] why not play the natural 22...Rad8, overprotect the vulnarable isolated d5 pawn ? 23.Bh3...this also is quite a weird move. Let's see...Anand probably want to maintain control over the h3 - c8 diaganol and...he probably think that he can always control the more potentiol h1-a8 diaganol after playing g3 later. Rad8 24.g3 g5 25.Rad1 g4 26.Bg2 Ne6
White blockade on d4 is not that strong and now after the d4-rook move, black can play ...d4 immedietly, exchanging the isolated d5 pawn and solve the problem!
27.R4d3 d4 28.exd4 Rxd4 = Game drawn
