World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik has struck a blow for man over machine by taking the lead in his ''duel of the century'' with the Deep Fritz computer program in Bahrain.

Playing white, the Russian forced Deep Fritz to resign on the 57th move of Sunday's match.

Analysts said the match was erratic but that Kramnik, 27, had strategically steered play into quiet positions that Deep Fritz was unable to counter.

Feeling blue: Kasparov succumbs in New York

The match stands at 1.5 to 0.5 following a draw in the first game.

The eight-game contest, which was postponed last year in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, is a sequel to Garry Kasparov's 1997 defeat by the supercomputer Deep Blue in New York.

Kramnik was crowned world champion when he beat compatriot Kasparov in London in 2000.

Battle for the brain

On Friday, Kramnik had fought back to earn a draw playing black against what he called a "most vivid combination of silicon chips".

Deep Fritz can calculate three million moves a second, but fortunately for Kramnik can only play one.

I want to prove that the human brain is worth something

Vladimir Kramnik

"I want to prove that the human brain is worth something," mankind's representative said ahead of the match in Manama.

He also wants to win the $1 million King Hamad has put up for a flesh-and-blood victory, or the $700,000 for a draw.

Kramnik had an all-too-human spat on Friday, complaining of an unpleasant light reflection from the black pieces.

His task has been made easier by rules that ban Deep Fritz's programmers, Franz Morsch of the Netherlands and Mathias Feist of Germany, from interfering with the software.