Vishwanathan 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.
With half a point from the board, Kramnik, who has so far played a game more than the Indian, maintained his position at the top of the table with 2.5 points. Anand was placed second alongwith 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 Radjabov 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 was signed after 48 moves.
Peter Leko troubled Ponomariov a lot in another Rossolimo attack game of the day 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.
Though at the final stages of the game Leko managed the position he was looking for with very little time remaining on his clock, he could not strike upon the best manoeuvres to eventually part with half a point after 110 moves.
The world's highest rated player Garry Kasparov had a bye in this round and will resume with white pieces in the next board against Ponomariov tomorrow after the rest day today.
Results Round 4:
Vishwanathan Anand (2/3) drew Vladimir Kramnik (Rus, 2.5/4); Ruslan Ponomariov (1/4) drew Peter Leko (Hun, 2/3); Francisco Vallejo Pons (Esp, 1.5/3) drew Teimour Radjabov (Aze, 2/4); Garry Kasparov (Rus, 1/3) had a bye.
The moves: V Anand vs Vladimir Kramnik
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. e5 Nxb5 8. exf6 Nxc 9. fxg7 Bxg7 10. dxc3 d6 11. Ng5 Bf5 12. a4 Qc6 13. Q e2 Bf6 14. Ne4 Bxe4 15. Qxe4 Qxe4 16. Rxe4 d5 draw agreed.
R Ponomariov vs Peter Leko
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. h3 Bg7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 e5 10. Bh6 Qd6 11. g4 Be6 12. Qe3 a5 13. Ne2 a4 14. a3 b5 15. Ng3 Ne8 16. O-O f6 17. Nd2 Rd8 18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. f4 exf4 20. Qxf4 Qxf4 21. Rxf4 c4 22. Rf3 Bc8 23. Ndf1 Ne6 24. Ne2 cxd3 25. Rxd3 Rxd3 26. cxd3 Rd8 27. Rc1 c5 28. Rc3 Ba6 29. Kf2 Rd6 30. b4 axb3 31. Rxb3 b4 32. axb4 Bxd3 33. bxc5 Nxc5 34. Rb8+ Kg7 35. Nfg3 Nxe4+ 36. Nxe4 Bxe4 37. Re8 Bd5 38. Re7+ Bf7 39. Ra7 Kf8 40. Ra8+ Be8 41. Ke3 Re6+ 42. Kf2 Re4 43. Nc3 Re5 44. Rd8 Kg7 45. Nd5 Bf7 46. Ne3 h5 47. Rd7 Kf8 48. Rc7 h4 49. Rc8+ Kg7 50. Rc7 Ra5 51. Kf3 Ra2 52. Ng2 Ra3+ 53. Ne3 Kf8 54. Rc8+ Ke7 55. Rc7+ Ke8 56. Kf2 Be6 57. Rc2 Ke7 58. Re2 Kf7 59. Rd2 Ra4 60. Kf3 Bc8 61. Rb 2 Ra7 62. Kf2 Bb7 63. Ng2 g5 64. Ne1 Be4 65. Re2 Bd5 66. Re3 Ra4 67. Kg1 Be4 68. Nf3 Ra1+ 69. Kf2 Ra2+ 70. Kf1 Bd5 71. Kg1 Ra4 72. Ne1 Be6 73. Nf3 Ke7 74. Rd3 Bc4 75. Re3+ Be6 76. Rd3 Bc4 77. Re3+ Kd6 78. Nd4 Ra1+ 79. Kf2 Ra2+ 80. Kg1 Kc5 81. Nf5 Ra6 82. Kf2 Be6 83. Ng7 Bd5 84. Nf5 Kc4 85. Re2 Be6 86. Ng7 Bd7 87. Rd2 Bb5 88. Nf5 Kc5 89. Ne3 Bc6 90. Rc2+ Kd4 91. Nf5+ Ke5 92. Rc5+ Ke4 93. Rc4+ Kd5 94. Rc3 Ra2+ 95. Kg1 Bb5 96. Re3 Rd2 97. Ne7+ Kd4 98. Nf5+ Kd5 99. Ne7+ Kc5 100. Nf5 Bd3 101. Ng7 Rd1+ 102. Kf2 Kd4 103. Ne6+ Kc4 104. Ng7 Rd2+ 105. Kg1 Kd4 106. Re1 Be4 107. Nh5 f5 108. Ng7 fxg4 109. Ne6+ Kd5 110. Nxg5 Bf5 draw agreed.