Bobby Fischer escaped with a draw in the 29th game of his rematch with Boris Spassky after falling into what he called a "semi-losing position."
Fischer, who had the advantage of white on Wednesday, needs just one victory to crown his return to competitive chess.Fischer leads the $5 million rematch 9-5. The first player to take 10 games receives the winner's prize of $3.35 million. The loser gets the remainder.
Draws do not count. According to match rules, if the Russian-born Spassky now comes back to tie him at nine games each, the match will end in a draw and the two players will split the prize money.
The two were to meet again Thursday.
Fischer, a 49-year-old American, won the world chess championship by beating Spassky, now a French citizen, 20 years ago. He was stripped of the title in 1975 by the International Chess Federation for refusing to defend it.
Until September, he had not played competitively since.
The match is being played in defiance of U.N. sanctions against Yugoslavia.
The moves in Game 29:
Fischer Spassky
White Black
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6
5. 0-0 Be7
6. Re1 b5
7. Bb3 d6
8. c3 0-0
9. h3 Nb8
10. d4 Nbd7
11. c4 c6
12. cxb5 axb5
13. Nc3 Bb7
14. Bg5 b4
15. Nb1 h6
16. Bh4 c5
17. dxe5 Nxe4
18. Bxe7 Qxe7
19. exd6 Qf6
20. Nbd2 Nxd6
21. Nc4 Nxc4
22. Bxc4 Nb6
23. Ne5 Rae8
24. Bxf7+ Rxf7
25. Nxf7 Rxe1+
Fischer Spassky
White Black
26. Qxe1 Kxf7
27. Qe3 Qg5
28. Qxg5 hxg5
29. b3 Ke6
30. a3 Kd6
31. axb4 cxb4
32. Ra5 Nd5
33. f3 Bc8
34. Kf2 Bf5
35. Ra7 g6
36. Ra6+ Kc5
37. Ke1 Nf4
38. g3 Nxh3
39. Kd2 Kb5
40. Rd6 Kc5
41. Ra6 Nf2
42. g4 Bd3
43. Re6 Kd5
44. Rb6 Kc5
45. Re6
draw
Final positions:
White: Kd2, Re6, b3, f3, g4
Black: Kc5, Bd3, Nf2, b4, g5, g6