Anatoly Karpov and challenger Gata Kamsky played to a quick draw Friday in their disputed world chess championship match, leaving the Russian with a 3-2 lead.
The first player to reach 10 points wins the World Chess Federation title, which Karpov now holds, and $937,500. The loser gets $562,500.After losing the previous game with the advantage of the white pieces, Kamsky opened play aggressively with black in a Gruen-feld Defense.
The 22-year-old New Yorker, who defected from the Soviet Union eight years ago, sacrificed a rook in exchange for a knight and an attack in the center.
But Karpov was able to trade off Kamsky's dangerously placed knight and neutralize the black attack.
Unable to make progress, the players began repeating sequences of moves before agreeing to a draw after 23 moves and 2 hours, 40 minutes. Each player earned a half-point, leaving Karpov still ahead by a point.
"Kamsky had real chances to continue a powerful game," said Russian international master Yevgeny Bebchuk. "He had better chances, but he decided to avoid risk and take a break."
The championship is being held in Elista, capital of the southern Russian republic of Kalmykia, where World Chess Federation President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is the regional leader.
The next game is scheduled for Sunday.