Svidler Beats Kramnik In Russian Champs
Five-time Russian Champion Peter Svidler (pictured) got off to the perfect start in the 2011 championship by beating in-form Vladimir Kramnik in the only decisive game of the opening round.
Undaunted, Kramnik hit back in the second round, beating Artyom Timofeev to return to a level score.
Also on target in round two was Morozevich who beat Grischuk to share first place with Svidler. Defending champion Ian Nepomniachtchi pressed hard for a win in a tricky ending against Galkin, but had to settle for a draw.
The standings after two rounds in Moscow:
| Svidler, Peter | 2739 | 1½ |
| Morozevich, Alexander | 2694 | 1½ |
| Karjakin, Sergey | 2788 | 1 |
| Kramnik, Vladimir | 2781 | 1 |
| Nepomniachtchi, Ian | 2711 | 1 |
| Galkin, Alexander | 2598 | 1 |
| Grischuk, Alexander | 2746 | ½ |
| Timofeev, Artyom | 2665 | ½ |
Grischuk kibitzes on Svidler's game with Kramnik
Games begin at 15:00 local time (11:00 UTC). The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30 second increment from the start.
The official website (in Russian) is here. Live coverage at this link.
If you are following the games live, you might like to check out ChessMarkstheSpot's live blogs of the event right here at Chess.com. 
Picture from the official website.
