Anand scores in game five; draws level

By Arvind Aaron

MAINZ, JUNE 30. World chess champion Viswanathan Anand scored a defensive victory over Braingames World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in game five to level the scores at the end of six games in their 10-game Mainz chess classic rapid chess match here at the Rheingoldhalle on Friday.

The score after Anand's comeback victory is 3-3, with four games remaining to be played.

Game five started with Anand accepting the Queen's Gambit like in all his previous black games here. Anand entered the playing area with a pat on his back from his 50-year-old Georgian trainer Elizbar Ubilava.

They played a variation with plenty of possibilities. White exchanged the queen rooks and went for a sacrificial line, giving up a bishop for two pawns on the 16th turn. Black's 17th move, a defensive pawn move looked new and white appeared to have excellent compensation for the bishop. However, sacrificing two pieces for a rook on the 21st move appeared to pass black the baton of initiative.

Although Anand's king was in the highway, open for all kinds of surprise attacks, Kramnik's rook and three pawns for three black pieces was too less a compensation.

This was the turning point, and trailing the match by a game, Anand appeared to have signs of hope in the match.

On move 25, Kramnik could use black's awkwardly placed queen position and hurl his king-side pawn and challenge black's advantage. When he missed that, black's position grew safe as far as his king was concerned and aggressive since there was one passed pawn on the queen's side to play for.

Kramnik exchanged queens and played for little tricks like sacrificing his rook for the black bishop and pawn but Anand played securely to solidify his advantage in the ending and did not fall in any of the traps that white had for him.

In the end, Anand had a bishop and knight for white's two pawns. Before Anand could round the pawns and mate with bishop and knight, Kramnik extended his hand in resignation on the 48th move.

In the sixth game, Anand played white but Kramnik varied on the third move and chose his second choice opening for the match: the Arkhangelsk variation of the Ruy Lopez.

Anand chose an uncommon opening line on the ninth move and the players agreed to a draw with each of them having more than 15 minutes each on their clocks. They had a queen, rook and two minor pieces left when Anand accepted Kramnik's offer for a draw.

The moves: GM V.Kramnik-GM V.Anand, match game five, rapid chess, queen's gambit accepted, D27: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.Qe2 b5 9.a4 Bb7 10.axb5 axb5 11.Rxa8 Qxa8 12.Nc3 b4 13.Nb5 Qb8 14.e4 cxd4 15.Nbxd4 Bd6 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Nxe6 h6 18.Nxg7+ Kf7 19.Nf5 Bxe4 20.Nxh6+ Kg7 21.h3 Rxh6 22.Bxh6+ Kxh6 23.Rd1 Bxf3 24.Qxf3 Be5 25.Qe3+ Kg7 26.Qg5+ Kf7 27.Qf5 Nf8 28.b3 Bc3 29.g3 Qe5 30.Qxe5 Bxe5 31.f4 Bc3 32.Kg2 Ne4 33.g4 Nd2 34.f5 Nxb3 35.g5 Nc5 36.Kf3 b3 37.h4 b2 38.h5 Bd2 39.Rb1 Bc1 40.Ke2 Ne4 41.Kd3 Nd2 42.Rxb2 Bxb2 43.Kxd2 Kg7 44.Kd3 Bc1 45.g6 Nd7 46.Ke4 Nf6+ 47.Ke5 Nxh5 48.Ke6 Bb2 0-1.

GM V.Anand-GM V.Kramnik, match game six, rapid chess, Ruy Lopez, Arkhangelsk variation, C78: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Bb7 8.d3 0-0 9.axb5 axb5 10.Rxa8 Bxa8 11.Nc3 b4 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 d6 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 Ne7 16.Bxa8 Qxa8 17.d4 exd4 18.cxd4 Bb6 19.Qc2 h6 20.Re1 Re8 21.Bd2 Ng6 22.h3 d5 23.e5 Nf8 Draw. Time left: 15.48/15.48.

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