Anand vs Gelfand-Game 3: Anand plays safe for a draw

Moscow: A well-fought fantastic struggle ended without much fanfare as World Champion Viswanathan Anand played it safe to draw the third match of the World Chess Championship against Boris Gelfand.

The position was complex and appeared promising for Anand, but experts commenting on the game could not come to any firm conclusion and only analysis by chess engines later should provide more insights into the game.

The scores now stand level at 1.5-1.5 in the 12-Game Match series in progress at the Tretyakova Gallery at Mosocw.

It was one of those very rare times that Anand found himself in time trouble and impending checkmate with Challenger Gelfand’s both rooks patrolling his seventh rank, had him settling for a draw with repetition of moves.

The third game was the most sharp and fluid so far in this 12 Game Match series where the player reaching 6.5 will be crowned Champion. The game lasted 37 moves and literally had the followers on the edge of their seats for most part.

Unlike the first two games, this game was razor sharp, needing both players to play precisely to maintain some semblance of balance.

Gelfand’s Grunfeld was met with a new move on the third turn by Anand but the 43-year-old Israeli GM had more than done his homework, the speed with which he belted out the moves giving a strong indication that he was all along on the home turf.

Anand castled on the queen side but it was Gelfand who was on the attacking side in the initial stages. His queen and rooks along with the knight kept the pressure on Anand’s King.

Anand’s pieces on the Kingside were undeveloped for which Gelfand had sacrificed a pawn. Anand however exchanged off the queens, bishops and knights and appeared better to try and probe for victory.

However a cautious 35th rook move by Anand had the game petering into a draw.