Kramnik finishes unbeaten

Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, the BrainGames champion from Russia, ended the 40-game Simultaneous Display tournament at 36.5-3.5 without conceding a single match.

The display was a part of the ongoing Mainz Chess Classic Rapid Chess festival.

Earlier, after a draining four-and-a-half hours session, Anand scored a 37-3 victory over his opponents, half of whom were selected through an auction where the minimum bid was 100 German marks.

Anand was held twice and lost twice besides winning 36 games. Anand's two losses came at the hands of Michael Tischendorf and Eckhard Freise.

Freise, in the process, generated tremendous attention for the second time in as many months. The Wuppertal-based professor was the first candidate who managed to win one million German marks in Gnther Jauch's "Who wants to be a millionaire" TV show.

Kramnik can derive some satisfaction from the fact that he did not lose a single game. The draws -- a total of 7 in 40 games -- however turned out to be more than he had expected.

With the match against Anand on Tuesday, Kramnik looked a composed picture and was clinical in almost all the victories.