The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Anand draws with Svidler

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 05, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Chess

Anand draws with Svidler

NEW DELHI: Viswanathan Anand continued to share the lead after drawing with Russia's Peter Svidler in the ninth round of the Morelia-Linares Super Grandmasters chess tournament in Linares, Spain, on Saturday.

On a day when the top-seeded Bulgarian Veselin Topalov escaped with a draw against Ukraine's Vassily Ivanchuk and joint-leader Magnus Carlsen proved equal to Armenia's Levon Aronian, tailender Alexander Morozevich overpowered Hungary's Peter Leko for his first victory in the competition.

Anand adopted the Petroff Defence against Svidler and encountered some anxious moments in the middle game. But after simplifying, Anand finished the game in an equal position after 41 moves. The result also maintained Svidler's sequence of draws in the event.

Topalov was extremely lucky to escape defeat after Ivanchuk reached a completely winning position. The Ukrainian genius fell short of time and settled for a draw in 77 moves of their Sicilian game.

Morozevich's originality was eventually rewarded after he punished Leko for a questionable pawn capture on the kingside. An immediate sacrifice of a rook for a knight paved the way for Morozevich's 46-move triumph in Queen's Indian.

The results (ninth round): Peter Svidler (Rus, 4.5) drew with Viswanathan Anand (5.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (Arm, 4.5); Veselin Topalov (Bul, 4) drew with Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr, 5); Alexander Morozevich (Rus, 3.5) bt Peter Leko (Hun, 3.5).

10th-round pairings: Anand-Carlsen; Ivanchuk-Svidler; Aronian-Morozevich; Leko-Topalov.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport