So it's a Grünfeld, and Anand seems to have surprised Gelfand with the rare line 8.Bb5+ followed by 9.d5. Looks already quite sharp, let's see what Gelfand comes up with.

The webcast on the official website works nicely, btw, with Nigel Short providing commentary today.

Gelfand goes for the critical 12..Qxa2, which Naiditsch, commenting on Chessdom, doesn't like at all. Rybka seems to think Black is okay after 13.Rb2 Qa5 14.d6!?, though. Looks like good preparation from Anand in any case, Gelfand already used up quite a lot of time.

Please keep posting the game and evals/comments. Can't watch live at work...

Those are the moves so far:

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. Bb5+ Nc6 9. d5 Qa5 10. Rb1 a6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. O-O Qxa2 13. Rb2 Qa5 14. d6 Ra7 15. Bg5 exd6 *

It's beginning to look like Anand's initiative wasn't that strong after all, 14...Ra7 pretty much defended against all threats after d6. Commentators seem to think Gelfand has equalized or may even have a long-term advantage with his bishop pair and the passed a-pawn.

Gelfand seems to have equalized very well out of the opening. Like littlefish says, the bishop pair and outside passed pawn give Gelfand all the chances, if he continues to play accurately. I am enjoying the commentary for the most part, but Nigel is a bit of a microphone hog! It is a real treat having a player of Karjakin's caliber commentating, I wish he had more time to talk around the Englishman!

Meanwhile the game continued:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5 8.Bb5+ Nc6 9.d5 Qa5 10.Rb1 a6 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.O-O Qxa2 13.Rb2 Qa5 14.d6 Ra7 15.Bg5 exd6 16.Qxd6 Rd7 17.Qxc6 Qc7 18.Qxc7 Rxc7 19.Bf4 Rb7 20.Rc2 O-O *

Black definitely looks slightly better now, although according to Short his weak c-pawn is a small problem.

All the winning chances, such as they are, seem to belong to Mitzvah

Gelfand has just played 22. ... f5!, which the computer thinks is the best move, but only after a long, long think. Very well played by Gelfand, he is definitely the aggressor in this game.

Suddenly, it is drawn after 24. ... Bf5. Gelfand had 16 minutes or so for 16 moves, which might be part of the reason. However, to agree to a draw with such a position with Black in the first game of the match; this is a clear psychological victory for Anand, who was thoroughly outplayed in the opening. Hopefully Boris can get his nerves up to pull in a win when it counts ...

Did Gelfand make an aggressive draw offer...? Or did Anand chicken out with a defensive one...? I felt the position still had a lot of play left, what with black's semi-passer on the a-file, and the black KB breathing fire.