Sadvakasov holds Kasparov to a draw

CHENNAI, MAY 31. Former world junior champion Darmen Sadvakasov of Kazakhstan held World No. 1 ranked Garry Kasparov of Russia to a creditable draw for the second time in the Super Category chess tournament at Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday.

After all the three ninth round games were drawn, Braingames World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia keeps his slender half-a-point lead. In the final round on Friday he will face Kasparov in a do or die battle.

Kramnik needs a draw for his first classical chess title this year while Kasparov needs a win for his third classical title for the year. Kasparov has already won the Corus tournament at Wijk aan Zee and the Linares tournament in the first quarter of this year.

This six-player double round robin category-20 tournament will conclude on Friday. Kasparov has not beaten Kramnik for a long time and he could not do it even once in their London match last November which he lost 6.5-8.5. Kramnik seldom loses and is known to be an astute defender. His opening choices are often rock solid, hard for Kasparov's bone depth preparation to penetrate.

Unless Kasparov shows outstanding preparation, the game should have a high draw probability. Kasparov should be gearing to avenge the April defeat against Kramnik at Zurich in the Korchnoi Anniversary tournament.

On Thursday, Kasparov sacrificed a rook for knight in thematic fashion. When he realised that the ending could be double edged the oldest competitor proposed a draw at move-37 that Sadvakasov accepted with the white pieces.

The Kazakh player could win a central pawn and force exchange of queens leading to an ending where black will have a knight and two pawns for white's rook.

But Kasparov chose to avoid risky play and keep the powder for the final day. Sadvakasov has drawn with Kasparov in the earlier game too and comes out with a 1-1 score. Kasparov often has problems playing new players and clearly Sadvakasov is one of them.

He analyses his rivals and in this case perhaps had no psychological advantage at all.

lThe results (ninth round): B. Gelfand (Isr) drew with A. Shirov (ESP), V. Kramnik (Rus) drew with A. Morozevich (Rus), D. Sadvakasov (Kaz) drew with G. Kasparov (Rus).

The standings (after nine rounds): 1. V. Kramnik 6.5/9, 2. G. Kasparov 6, 3. B. Gelfand 5, 4. A. Morozevich 4, 5. A. Shirov 3.5, 6. D. Sadvakasov 2.

The moves: GM D. Sadvakasov-GM G. vs. Kasparov, round nine, Sicilian defence, Rossolimo attack, B52: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Nf6 8.Nc3 g6 9.f3 Bg7 10.Be3 0-0 11.0-0 a6 12.a4 e6 13.Rc1 Ne5 14.Qe2 Rfc8 15.b3 d5 16.cxd5 exd5 17.f4 Rxc3 18.Rxc3 Nxe4 19.Rc2 Ng4 20.Rfc1 h5 21.Rc7 Qd6 22.Nf3 Bf6 23.g3 Qe6 24.Bd4 Bxd4+ 25.Nxd4 Qb6 26.Qd3 Ngf2 27.Qe3 Ng4 28.Qd3 h4 29.a5 Qf6 30.Nf3 hxg3 31.hxg3 Nxg3 32.Rc8+ Rxc8 33.Rxc8+ Kg7 34.Kg2 Nf5 35.Qc3 Nge3+ 36.Kg1 d4 37.Qc5 Ne7 Draw agreed.

- Our Chess Correspondent

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