Kramnik beats Kasparov

Russian Vladimir Kramnik beat defending champion Garry Kasparov in the second game of the World Chess championship on Tuesday to take a one-point lead.

The opening game, played on Sunday, ended in a draw.

Kramnik, playing white, held the initiative for the whole of Tuesday's game and by move 40 it was all over.

Azerbaijan-born Kasparov resigned in the face of imminent defeat by his former pupil.

He is facing a challenger in his early 20s, the age he was when he snatched the title from Russia's Anatoly Karpov in 1985.

Kasparov considers acknowledged world No. 2 Kramnik to be the toughest opponent he has faced since.

The pair will play 16 games at the Riverside Studios in west London, each to be completed within a day and broadcast live on the internet at www.Braingames.Net.

The winner will be announced in a month's time and a two million dollars prize will be divided between them, depending on the score.

UNI