A new era for chess event coverage?

Coverage of important chess matches and tournaments has come a long way since fans had to wait impatiently for a chess magazine to arrive on their doormat.  In the internet era we have become accustomed to live broadcasts of the moves of games being available online, either from the event organiser's website or other popular chess websites.

The organisers of the next World Championship match, in September this year, between the Russian Vladimir Kramnik (pictured) and the Indian Viswanathan Anand are promising a new era in chess coverage.  In addition to broadcasting the moves, six video cameras will be used to capture the scene at the game, including close-ups of the players' faces.  

The Foidos Chess Presentation System is the software that is promising to make this happen.  The system also allows for integrated computer analysis and live commentary.  It has been developed by DGT, a company best known for their electronic boards, which have become standard issue at many important chess events.

Currently, the coverage for the World Championship Match is intended to be offered on a pay-per-view basis, but if a sponsor is found, then it may be provided free.

To demonstrate the system's capabilities, a simultaneous match between Kramnik and two other Grandmasters is being held in Bonn, Germany on the 2nd April.  His opponents will be the talented young French player Marie Sebag (2510 Elo) and the Dutchman Jan Werle (2570 Elo).  The time control for the games will be 90 minutes plus a 30 second increment per move.  Commentary will be provided the ever-popular US Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan.

The games start at 2pm local time (07:00 CST in the USA, 14:00 BST in the UK).

The link for the live games is here.