Anand, Kramnik split points

WIJK AAN ZEE, JAN 27: The second of the three big clashes too ended in a draw, as Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik agreed to split poi...

WIJK AAN ZEE, JAN 27: The second of the three big clashes too ended in a draw, as Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik agreed to split points in the ninth round of the Hoogovens Grandmasters chess tournament. The game did not have half as many thrills as the Anatoly Karpov-Anand game in the eighth round. Kramnik is due to meet Karpov in the 13th and last round.

But Karpov, who barely managed to save the game against Anand on Monday, crashed to defeat, his second of the tournament. He lost with black pieces to Bulgarian Vesselin Topalov. In the longest game of the day, Topalov handled Karpov’s Queen’s Gambit Declined (Petrosian variation) very adeptly. Karpov, despite some middle game errors, hung on valiantly. But finally, after 50 moves, he had to give in.

The 30-move draw against Kramnik who played the Sicilian game, where the Indian had white pieces, meant Anand continues to lead the field by half-a-point. Kramnik has collected 1.5 points in the next five. That has allowed some others to catch up andjoin him in the second spot.

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Jan Timman stays on second place, as he drew with Boris Gelfand in another ninth round game. But of the five-strong contingent the Dutch have entered here, three slipped to defeat tonight. In the tenth round, Anand will play Nijboer and the Indian will have black, while Kramnik has a tough game against Topalov. Timman, with black, plays Shirov who has suddenly run into form. Karpov will play with white against Polgar.

Karpov escapes: In the first of the much-awaited duels, Anand did everything but win the game against Karpov in the eighth round.

The scorebooks will show that it was a draw in 60 moves, but Anand had Karpov struggling to save the point and his reputation. With Karpov falling back on perpetual checks, half a point and moral victory was all Anand could get.

Points after nine rounds: Anand (6); Kramnik, Timman, Polgar and Shirov (5.5); Gelfand and Topalov (5 each) ; Adams (4.5); Karpov, Piket, Van Der Sterren, Nijboer and Salov (3.5 each); Loek VanWely (3 each).

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RESULTS (Ninth round): Shirov bt Jeroen; Timman drew with Gelfand; Loek van Wely lost to Adams; Salov drew with Nijboer; Anand drew with Kramnik; Topalov bt Karpov; Polgar bt Van der Sterren.

Anand-Kramnik

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O O-O 14. Qf3 f5 15. exf5 d5 16. Qxd5 Bb7 17. Qb3 e4 18. Be2 Qg5 19. Rad1 e3 20. f3 Be5 21. Nc4 Bf4 22. Rd4 Bd5 23. Rxf4 Qxf4 24. Qxe3 Qxf5 25. Bd3 Qf6 26. Nb6 Rad8 27. Nxd5 Rxd5 28. Qe4 Qd4 29. Qxd4 Rxd4 30. Re1 Draw.