Report Four: ‘To seal or not to seal’
by Malcolm Pein in Bahrain

Final rules meeting at the Gulf Hotel - the night before game one. From the left going clockwise is: Irazoqui, Lutz, Kurer, Pein, Feist, Wuellenweber and Morsch. Photo Frederic Friedel.

One interesting question that arose during the final discussion on the rules was the matter of sealed moves. There was no mention of this in the first draft only the agreement that Kramnik could adjourn at any point after move 56. The time control slows down after move forty. There are two hours each for the first forty although Fritz is allowed only one hour and fifty minutes by the operator because of the lag between it playing its move and the match clock being pressed by the board.

Arbiter Enrique Irazoqui

It was decided that there would be no sealed moves or rather that the moves made at adjournment would be open. At first this appears very strange but when the teams discussed the matter with Arbiter Enrique Irazoqui and myself we realised it did not matter.

If Kramnik ‘seals’ then because Fritz is not allowed to analyse overnight if Kramnik seals the move can be revealed to the public. If Fritz ‘seals’ Kramnik could work out what the move had been by using his own Fritz ! Fritz is allowed to analyse its own move overnight but of course Kramnik could always consider replying with the second best move to confound the machine.