Anand146;s misery continues

Anand has not beaten Kasparov in classical chess for over six years but if he can achieve it here the Indian still has a chance to become a joint winner in the event of a draw between Kramnik and Leko.

Anand went for the petroff defence with his black pieces but the 8216;rock solid8217; tag of the opening did not live up to expectations. Leko masterminded a new idea that guaranteed him space advantage in the middlegame and exerted pressure on the queenside to get a passed pawn in the centre.

Despite having only a queen, rook and pawns on board, Leko maintained his stranglehold. Though Anand gave up a pawn to enter a rook and pawns endgame the Hungarian displayed excellent technique and won with some precise play.

Anand conceded his second loss in the tournament after 65 moves. He had lost to Kasparov of Russia in the seventh round. Kramnik tried hard but failed to break the defence of Radjabov. The Russian is the only unbeaten player in the competition and considering the fact that he plays with white against Leko, the record is likely to remain in tact.

Standings after round 13
1-2. Kramnik, Leko 6.5/11; 3-4. Kasparov, Anand 6/11; 5. Vallejo Pons 5/11; 6. Ponomariov 4.5/11; 7. Radjabov 4.5/12