Anand-Kramnik game ends in dull draw

Viswanathan Anand drew his fourth round game against Braingames champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia to remain in the joint second position i...

Viswanathan Anand drew his fourth round game against Braingames champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia to remain in the joint second position in the 20th Linares Super Grandmasters chess tournament here. With half a point from the board, Kramnik, who has so far played one game more than the Indian, maintained his position at the top of the table with 2.5 points. Anand was placed second along with Hungarian grandmaster Peter Leko, both having had a bye each in the tournament already. The duo have two points from three matches.

Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan was also placed second though he has played one board more. Kramnik, however, could lose the sole lead in the next round when he takes his first of the two allotted byes. After an excellent first round win over world champion Ruslan Ponomariov and an easy draw with black against Spaniard Francisco Vallejo Pons in the second, Anand, with white pieces, was expected to try harder against Kramnik in the fourth round.

However, he disappointed his fans by opting for a surprise opening — the Rossolimo attack – as Kramnik had proved devastating in the same variation against Ponomariov in the second round game. Anand tried a new idea after dismantling black’s pawn structure a little but an alert Kramnik went for the trade of queens that guaranteed a level endgame. The draw was agreed to after just 16 moves. Vallejo Pons played out his third draw in as many games when he held Rradjabov with white.

Vallejo, who faced the McCutcheon French, went for a direct attack against the king with a couple of pawn sacrifices in the middle game but Radjabov thwarted all his threats with ease. After sacrificing a pawn, Radjabov secured a dynamic balance but decided against pressing hard in rather double- edged position. The peace treaty was signed after 48 moves.

Peter Leko troubled Ponomariov a lot in another Rossolimo attack game but could not derive the maximum from an advantageous endgame with black pieces. Leko played the opening in an inspiring fashion and won a pawn on the 36th move with perfect moves at the center. Leko with very little time remaining on his clock, could not strike upon the best manoeuvres.