  We report on the generation of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a gas of
chromium atoms, which will make studies of the effects of anisotropic
long-range interactions in degenerate quantum gases possible. The preparation
of the chromium condensate requires novel cooling strategies that are adapted
to its special electronic and magnetic properties. The final step to reach
quantum degeneracy is forced evaporative cooling of 52Cr atoms within a crossed
optical dipole trap. At a critical temperature of T~700nK, we observe
Bose-Einstein condensation by the appearance of a two-component velocity
distribution. Released from an anisotropic trap, the condensate expands with an
inversion of the aspect ratio. We observe critical behavior of the condensate
fraction as a function of temperature and more than 50,000 condensed 52Cr
atoms.
