Date:23/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/23/stories/2007092356321500.htm

Sport - Chess

Viswanathan Anand maintains half-point lead

NEW DELHI: Viswanathan Anand came up with another solid showing with black pieces against second-placed Boris Gelfand to maintain his half-point lead with a draw in the eighth round of the World chess championship in Mexico City on Friday. The 20-move draw in Catalan raised Anand’s tally to 5.5 points and Gelfand’s aggregate to five points. Defending champion Vladimir Kramnik drew with fellow-Russian Peter Svidler to stay in the third spot, one ahead of a victorious Peter Leko who handed out Russia’s Alexander Grischuk his second straight loss.

In the day’s shortest contest, Gelfand prevented Anand’s plans to seize some important squares on the queenside before the players realised the futility of testing each other.

After a day’s rest, action will resume on Sunday with Anand playing white against Levon Aronian, the unpredictable Armenian.

The results (eighth round): Boris Gelfand (Isr, 5) drew with Viswanathan Anand (5.5); Peter Svidler (Rus, 3) drew with Vladimir Kramnik (Rus, 4.5); Peter Leko (Hun, 4) bt Alexander Grischuk (Rus, 3.5); Levon Aronian (Arm, 3.5) drew with Alexander Morozevich (Rus, 3).

Ninth round pairings: Anand-Aronian; Grischuk-Gelfand; Leko-Svidler; Morozevich-Kramnik.