Bonn: World chess champion Viswanathan Anand inched closer to retaining his title with a draw Friday against Russian challenger Vladimir Kramnik in the eighth game of their championship match.
The draw gave Anand a 5.5-2.5 advantage in the 12-game match and left him needing only one point — one win, or two draws — from the last four games to keep the title.
Anand, with Black, switched from the Meran Defence that had already brought him two victories in the match, opting instead for the Ragozin Variation of the Queens Gambit Declined.
Anand’s preparation once again proved superior as he uncorked a novelty on move 10.
Asked afterward if he had again been caught by Anand’s preparation, Kramnik said: "That’s a fair assessment."
Although Kramnik had the superior pawn structure, Anand’s novelty gave him an approximately equal position when he made a slight inaccuracy on move 14 and White had a small but persistent edge.
"For the first time in the match I had a slightly better position," Kramnik said. "It was quite pleasing. I got certain pressure and Black’s position became really dangerous."
His king was in the centre and his rook awkwardly placed, and Kramnik had more space and attacking chances. Kramnik’s success, however, has always been based on slow positional pressure and naked aggression is not his style.
He thus passed on several promising lines, apparently hoping for an endgame where he could exploit his superior pawn structure.
Anand had time to untangle his king and rook while Kramnik continued to press. His opportunities had passed, however. Anand said that his 32nd move was the "last accurate move required and it’s basically a draw."
Kramnik soon conceded the inevitable. "In the end, I had to give a perpetual check," he said. The players shook hands on move 39.
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