Defending champion Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand started his campaign with an easy draw while top seed Vladimir Kramnik of Russia suffered a shock defeat in the opening round of the Corus Chess tournament at Wijk Aan Zee.
Playing black, Anand played out a 23-move draw with Grandmaster Peter Leko of Hungary.
Kramnik, the Braingames Champion, went down to GM Vladimir Akopian of Armenia who emerged as the leader in this 14-player category 19 event on FIDE charts.
Most of the players took a peaceful route in the first game of the new year, as a result of which draws dominated the first round. In fact Akopian, who also earned the best game prize of the day with his Houdini act, won the only decisive game of the day.
Anand's game did not have much apart from the theoretical interest in the Sicilian defence where Leko did not get as much as white as he might have liked. The World Rapid Chess champion employed the Taimanov system and had ready answers in a popular system akin to the English attack.
The game took a twist in the middle game phase as Anand went for the central breakthrough that might have turned the game in to a sharp battle had Leko not decided to go for simplifications.
The queens got traded on the 19th move and there was little for either player to hope for thereafter. The peace was signed after 23 moves.
Akopian has had some stupendous successes in the past, the biggest being the 1999 World Championship when he became the finalist along with Alexander Khalifman of Russia. The Armenian has never been a part of the top league even though he has kept pulling a rabbit or two out of hat intermittently.
Last year too Kramnik was off-colour in Corus and lost three games in all. This time luck seems to have deserted him at the outset and the memories of the past must have already begun haunting the Russian.
In an age-old variation of the English attack, Kramnik, black, had to use a lot of time to maintain the balance.
Akopian had come well-armed and never let his opponent equalise. Just while it appeared things were livening up, Kramnik blundered on the 28th move, missing out on white's stunning answer that forced a mating web. There was no reprieve for the former winner as Akopian marched to glory.
An interesting battle ending in a draw was fought between Russian Champion Peter Svidler and Latvia-born Spaniard Alexei Shirov. Settling behind white, Svidler opened with the Ruy Lopez and the game was on expected lines in the middle game. Opening up the center, Shirov sacrificed a pawn to exchange pieces favourably and reached an opposite colour Bishop endgame almost effortlessly.
"It is the first round, no one knows what is happening," said Svidler summing up the day's play.
Dortmund winner Viktor Bologan of Moldova looked poised for a desirable start against Chinese Zhang Zhong who qualified by virtue of his winning performance in the group 'B' last year. But Zhong showed his expertise in steering the game to a draw on move 33.
Results:
Round 1: Topalov (Bul; 2735 ) drew with Adams (Eng; 2720) ; Sokolov (Ned; 2706) drew with Timman (Ned; 2578 ) ; Leko (Hun; 2722) drew with Anand (Ind; 2766); Akopian (Arm; 2693 ) beat Kramnik (Rus; 2777); Van Wely (Ned; 2617) drew with Bareev (Rus; 2714 ); Bologan (Mld; 2679) drew with Zhong (Chn; 2644); Svidler (Rus; 2747) drew with Shirov (Esp; 2736).
Pairings for round 2: Anand vs Akopian; Kramnik vs Van Wely; Timman vs Leko; Adams vs Shirov; Zhong vs Svidler; Bareev vs Bologan; Topalov vs Sokolov.
The moves: (Leko Vs Anand)
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 Nf6 8. 0-0-0 Bb4 9. f3 Na5 10. Nb3 d5 11. Kb1 Bxc3 12. bxc3 h6 13. Bf4 e5 14. Bxe5 Qxe5 15. Nxa5 Be6 16. Qd4 Qc7 17. e5 Nd7 18. Nb3 Qxe5 19. c4 Qxd4 20. Nxd4 Nb6 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. cxd5 Nxd5 23. Rd2 Rc8, Draw.