The role of modern seconds is different from the pre-silicon era. In the old days, seconds were used as “wet-ware”— human computers. They worked on openings and slaved to analyse any adjourned positions.
Nowadays, adjournment doesn’t arise. All games are played to a finish to avoid silicon intervention. An average player with Chessbase and good engines can easily generate opening novelties and test their soundness. So the seconds’ role has taken on added qualitative dimensions. The seconds examine middle game and endgame themes and stylistic preferences. They look for signs of discomfort.
Instead of generating a single new move in an obscure opening, the seconds are now expected to decode entire “tabiya”. That is, to work out general characteristics of positions arising from typical openings in great detail and depth. For example, the typical mid-games themes in a Slav or a Sicilian would be explored.
It is inevitable that the second’s opening style and preferences will seep into the principal’s style. This is why a choice of seconds is also a giveaway about the direction of the principal’s preparation.
Both Anand and Kramnik made unusual picks. Kramnik hasn’t brought his long-term second, Evgeny Bareev to Bonn although Bareev helped him through 2000-2008 and in matches versus Kasparov, Leko and Topalov.
Instead, Kramnik has Peter Leko as his primary second with French GM Laurent Fressinet and Russian GM Sergei Rublevsky as backup. Leko is the interesting choice. He is a mutual friend of Anand and Kramnik who worked with Anand in 1998-99 and drew a match versus Kramnik in 2005. He knows both well and is an exponent of 1.e4 like Anand.
Anand has held on to his permanent second, Peter Heine Nielsen and added Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Surya Sekhar Ganguly and Radoslaw Wojtaszek. Like Leko, “Kasim” is a world class player and his opening style resembles Kramnik. Of course, Kramnik knows where the Uzbek GM is coming from.
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But the interesting Anand choice is the unknown young Polish GM Wojtaszek, who is also primarily a 1 d4 player like Kramnik. That could be Anand’s secret weapon because Wojtaszek’s ideas are unknown and un-exposed.
Game 1 was a tame draw but Game 2 exploded when Anand played 1.d4 which he has only tried 4 times in about 50-odd whites versus Kramnik. In the DIAGRAM, WHITE TO PLAY (Anand Vs Kramnik, Game 2, BONN WCM 2008), Anand found 22.Bb1 and Kramnik responded with a string of only moves 21.-- h5 23.h3 h4+ 24.Nxh4 Ne5 25.Nf3 Nh5+ 26.Kf2 Nxf3 27.Kxf3 e5! Kramnik now has compensation for the pawn 28.Rc1 Nf4 29.Ra2 Nd3 30.Rc3 Nf4 31.Bc2 Ne6 - Apparently 32. Rh6 is stronger but play continued 32.Kg3 Rd4 (1/2-1/2). This is quite unclear though it seems white can keep trying with 33 c5.