Topalov v Kamsky Starts With A Draw

Veselin Topalov (pictured) had the white pieces in the first game of his 8 game match with Gata Kamsky, and after a fascinating and exciting game the spoils were shared.

Kamsky bravely stuck to his dynamic Grunfeld defence and Topalov proved to be well prepared, springing the novelty 17. e5 which sent Kamsky into a very long think for over 45 minutes.  However, Kamsky seemed to find a good reply and managed to fend off Topalov's attack and ensure a draw.

We now know the full official line-up of seconds for each player:

Topalov's Team: Ivan Cheparinov, Vallejo Pons, Erwin L’Ami
Kamsky's Team: Emil Sutovsky, Andrei Volokitin, Evgeny Najer.

Game 2 is tomorrow and Kamsky will have his turn with the white pieces, starting 3pm local time.  The official site is here.