The score now stands equal at 5-5 and the remaining two games promise to be exciting in this 12-Game Match series to decide the World Champion.
Reigning champion Anand defended an inferior position stubbornly for a long time and this draw with Black should put him in a better frame of mind going into the rest day on Saturday before wielding Whites in the 11th game on Sunday.
“ I think I got a decent position but a careless move on the 24th turn allowed Topalov to get some play,” said Anand after the match.
Tired after defending passive positions in the Slav Defence which are not exactly his style, Anand once again adopted the Grunfeld Defence with which he suffered a shocking loss in the first round. Anand then had probably mixed up some order and his team would have plugged in the obvious loopholes for the Indian to play it once again.
However the frequent exchange of pieces had Topalov once again in a better position with an advanced isolated pawn in the centre and his bishop pair controlling vital diagonals.
Very soon it was apparent that Anand was in trouble and would once again need all his defensive skills to salvage a draw while Topalov was in a no risk position and could press for victory.
Topalov’s King marched to the centre of the board very quickly while Anand’s King was tied down in his territory.
Anand had a knight and bishop while Topalov had the bishop pair in the ending. It was easier for Topalov to force play on both sides of the board as his bishops could gun long range while for Anand, it was once again defending an inferior passive position.
A 44th inaccurate move by Topalov’s light squared bishop suddenly allowed Anand’s knight to be active. Around this time Topalov started consuming time and Anand was back to his speedy ways.
Suddenly Anand’s knight which so far had been restricted to his territory, was on the loose and started troubling the enemy. The exchange of the dark square bishop took the fizz out of the position and the draw was agreed.
Saturday is a rest day and Anand will play with the White pieces in the 11th game on Sunday.
Agencies
The moves (Game 10):
Veselin Topalov vs Viswanathan Anand:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3 0–0 10.0–0 b6 11.Qd2 Bb7 12.Rac1 Rc8 13.Rfd1 cxd4 14.cxd4 Qd6 15.d5 Na5 16.Bb5 Rxc1 17.Rxc1 Rc8 18.h3 Rxc1+ 19.Qxc1 e6 20.Nf4 exd5 21.Nxd5 f5 22.f3 fxe4 23.fxe4 Qe5 24.Bd3 Nc6 25.Ba6 Nd4 26.Qc4 Bxd5 27.Qxd5+ Qxd5 28.exd5 Be5 29.Kf2 Kf7 30.Bg5 Nf5 31.g4 Nd6 32.Kf3 Ne8 33.Bc1 Nc7 34.Bd3 Bd6 35.Ke4 b5 36.Kd4 a6 37.Be2 Ke7 38.Bg5+ Kd7 39.Bd2 Bg3 40.g5 Bf2+ 41.Ke5 Bg3+ 42.Ke4 Ne8 43.Bg4+ Ke7 44.Be6 Nd6+ 45.Kf3 Nc4 46.Bc1 Bd6 47.Ke4 a5 48.Bg4 Ba3 49.Bxa3+ Nxa3 50.Ke5 Nc4+ 51.Kd4 Kd6 52.Be2 Na3 53.h4 Nc2+ 54.Kc3 Nb4 55.Bxb5 Nxa2+ 56.Kb3 Nb4 57.Be2 Nxd5 58.h5 Nf4 59.hxg6 hxg6 60.Bc4 ½–½.
