FIDE World Chess Championship 2008
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The FIDE World Chess Championship 2008 was a 12-game match between Viswanathan Anand of India, the reigning World Champion, and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, held at the Art and Exhibition Hall in Bonn, Germany. Anand won the match convincingly, defending his title with bold and creative opening preparation that neutralized Kramnik’s deep positional play. It was Kramnik’s final appearance in a World Championship match.
📷 Ygrek: (CC BY 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons, 23 October 2008.
Winner: Viswanathan Anand
Born: 1969, Chennai, India
By 2008, Viswanathan Anand was already established as one of the most versatile champions in chess history. After unifying the title in 2007 in Mexico City, he prepared rigorously for the match in Bonn with the help of a strong team: Peter Heine Nielsen, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Surya Ganguly, and Radosław Wojtaszek. Magnus Carlsen also contributed to early training. Anand’s strategy relied on surprise and dynamism—his sharp play in the Meran and Slav Defenses caught Kramnik off guard. His mix of speed, deep preparation, and psychological poise proved decisive. The victory solidified his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
«Chess is a sport that teaches you to think before you act.»– Viswanathan Anand
Opponent: Vladimir Kramnik
Born: 1975, Tuapse, Russia
Vladimir Kramnik, former Classical World Champion, entered the 2008 match with the right to a rematch after finishing second in the 2007 unified championship. He was renowned for his strategic depth and expert use of solid openings like the Berlin and Petroff. Although he had never lost a world title match before, Anand’s aggressive preparation left him on the back foot. Kramnik fought back with a win in Game 10, but it was too late. This match marked the end of his reign as a world title contender, though his influence on modern opening theory remained immense.
«I didn’t lose the match because of poor form. Anand simply played better.» – Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik’s World Chess Championship Appearances
| Year | Event | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | PCA | Kasparov | Won |
| 2004 | PCA | Leko | Won |
| 2006 | FIDE | Topalov | Won |
| 2007 | FIDE | Several | 2nd |
| 2008 | FIDE | Anand | Lost |
Match Overview
🗓️ Match Dates: October 14 – October 29, 2008
📍 Location: Bonn, Germany
✅ Format: Best of 12 classical games
⏱️ Time Control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with a 30-second increment from move 61
💰 Prize Fund: €1,500,000 (shared equally)
📄 Main Sponsors: Evonik Industries, Gazprom
Historical and Cultural Context
This match was a turning point in modern chess. Anand’s triumph helped popularize chess across India, inspiring a generation. His team-based preparation model became the gold standard. For Kramnik, it was a symbolic passing of the torch. Held in Germany, the event had strong media coverage in Europe, and the return to a match format after the 2007 tournament reaffirmed the classical match model as the gold standard for deciding the title.
FIDE World Chess Championship 2008 Games
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
Game 6
Game 7
Game 8
Game 9
Game 10
Game 11
FIDE World Chess Championship 2008
Viswanathan Anand, India
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FIDE World Chess Championship 2008 Sources
Quote Sources
- Anand, Viswanathan: «Chess is a sport that teaches you to think before you act.» – Bookey
- Kramnik, Vladimir: Post-match press conference, Bonn 2008
General Sources
- Wikipedia:
- FIDE Archives: Match bulletin and official documents – fide.com
- New in Chess Magazine: Coverage from 2008 issues
- The Guardian: “Anand defeats Kramnik to retain world title” (Oct 2008)
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Bonn 2008 event coverage
- The Times (UK): “Anand’s brilliance in Bonn”
- ChessBase Reports: Game-by-game analysis (excluding any chess.com republications)
- The Week in Chess: TWIC Reports 2008
- La Nación (Argentina): Reportajes sobre el campeonato mundial 2008
- Le Monde (France): “Anand: une victoire brillante à Bonn”
- Tages-Anzeiger (Switzerland): “Kramnik unterliegt in Bonn”
- Deutsche Schachzeitung: 2008 match analysis
- Mark Weeks’ Chess Pages: mark-weeks.com/chess/
- Edward Winter: Chess Notes archive, 2008
- British Chess Magazine: World title match coverage, Nov–Dec 2008
- Shakhmaty v SSSR Archives: Legacy of Kramnik’s preparation
- HathiTrust Digital Library: Chess literature archive
- Frank Brady: “Endgame” (insight into Kramnik’s legacy)
- Genna Sosonko: Commentary on Anand’s rise
- Hans Ree: Columns on the 2008 match
- Tim Harding: Research notes on 21st-century World Championships
- Leonard Barden: Coverage in The Guardian
- Bernard Cafferty: Strategic match profiles
- Isaak & Vladimir Linder: “The Kramnik Era” chapter
- Daniel King: Commentary and broadcasts
- André Schulz: German match reports
- ChessHistory.com: Match archive
- ChessNotes: Historical snapshots
- The Chess Drum: Match coverage with global perspective
- Die Zeit: “Weltmeisterschaft zwischen Alt und Neu”
- Pravda (Russia): “Последний бой Крамника”
- Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland): International reporting
- Indian Express: “Anand brings title home again”
- Times of India: Full match coverage
- The Hindu: “Anand proves supremacy”
- Livemint: 2008 analysis from Anand’s camp
- Economic Times (India): Sponsorship insights
- Sport-Express (Russia): Reaction to Kramnik’s performance
- R-sport (Russia): Federation response
- Der Spiegel: On-site impressions from Bonn
- ChessPro.ru: Daily match commentary
Photo Sources
📷 World Chess Championship 2008. Anand — Kramnik
Ygrek: (CC BY 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons, 23 October 2008.
📷 GM Viswanathan Anand India India, Chess World Championship Bonn 2008
Georgios Souleidis: (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons, 29 October 2008.
Sources, image credits, and attributions for this championship are listed on this page. For general information about the World Chess Champions timeline, visit the main page.