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Journalism of Courage
FRANKFURT, JUNE 22: World No.2 Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand will take on chess wizard Gary Kasparov of Russia with black pieces in the opening round of the Frankfurt Classic 2000 tournament which starts here Friday night.
Kasparov, on the other hand, is as immaculate as possible. The motivation is high as ever after a smooth victory in the Sarajevo tournament in mid-may. The Russian world No. 1 is tipped to be favourite to win the title and his first game with Anand will be crucial in determining the winner.
Kramnik will be next favourite after Kasparov and Anand following his fantastic 1.5-0.5 victory over Fritz in the exhibition match.
Regarded as Kasparov’s successor, Kramnik is having a very consistent run this year so far. The Russian plays Leko in the first game.
Shirov remains most unpredictable of the lot. He starts here after a victory in the Merida GM tournament which ended on June 19.
The Latvia-born Spaniard also has to play two matches against Fritz to decide the outcome of the Man versus Machine match that is now locked at 4-4. Morozevich will play Shirov in the first round.
All the games will be played with 25 minutes to each player.
