Date:02/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/02/stories/2008030253632100.htm

Sport - Chess

Anand draws with Levon Aronian

NEW DELHI: Defending champion Viswanathan Anand drew with Armenia’s Levon Aronian in a well-fought game spread over 27 moves and stayed ahead after nine rounds of the Linares-Morelia chess tournament at Linares, Spain, on Friday.

Anand’s tally now stands at six points, half-a-point ahead of Norway’s Magnus Carslen, who benefited from a late blunder from Alexei Shirov.

In the day’s other decisive game, Vassily Ivanchuk defeated last-man Peter Leko.

In Queen’s Indian, Aronian offered a pawn sacrifice to exert some pressure in the opening. Once Anand returned on the pawn after a questionable queen-move from Aronian, the players signed peace.

The results: Ninth round: Levon Aronian (Arm, 5) drew with Viswanathan Anand (6); Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 5.5) bt Alexei Shirov (Esp, 4); Peter Leko (Hun, 3) lost to Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr, 4); Veselin Topalov (Bul, 4.5) drew with Teimour Radjabov (Aze, 4). 10th round pairings: Anand-Carlsen; Radjabov-Aronian; Ivanchuk-Topalov; Shirov-Leko.