After crashing to back-to-back defeats against 16-year-old Teimour Radjabov and Viktor Bologan, Viswanathan Anand held top seed and world No 2 Vladimir Kramnik of Russia to a face-saving draw in the fourth round of the Dortmund Sparkassen chess meeting.
In the other ties, Moldovan Viktor Bologan scored his second big win beating Peter Leko of Hungary to stretch his lead to a full point.
In a battle of teens, Arkadi Naiditsch (17) of Germany beat Radjabov of Azerbaijan with white to send the alarm bell ringing among the elite group.
After four rounds, Bologan leads with a fantastic score of 3.5 points followed by Kramnik on 2.5.
Naiditsch moved to 2 points with his enviable effort against Radjabov, who remained on 1.5 along with Leko.
Anand brings up the rear with one point earned from two draws.
Playing Kramnik has never been easy for Anand and it was again attested when the Indian ace, playing with white pieces, drew without giving any real problems to the big Russian, the only player after Garry Kasparov to have scaled the 2800 mark on the FIDE's ELO rating charts.
It was yet another Sveshnikov opening and it was quite evident that Anand did not quite find a way to continue while retaining chances, when confronted against this opening.
Kramnik faced little trouble with the oft-repeated opening variation and drew without much ado after Anand sacrificed his queen for two minor pieces and one pawn.
The game, which ended Anand's two match losing streak, lasted just 25 moves.
Naiditsch beat Radjabov in almost spectacular fashion. The Azerbaijani has got in the habit of beating stalwarts, as he did against Anand, but against Naiditsch the pressure to win took its toll.
After a Sicilian defence start, Naiditsch got a firm hold over Radjabov, who went for unwarranted complications with a piece sacrifice.
But the German however was quite prepared to tackle the ensuing complications. Radjabov sacrificed an exchange to go a rook down but his tactics were easily thwarted as the game progressed.
After 48 moves, Naiditsch had his king safely on the middle of the board and forced Radjabov's resignation with material superiority.
"From outside, my position might have looked a bit suspect with the king in the centre and pawns rolling down but white was always holding on and with accurate defence he was getting it tough and sacrificed his rook more in a last ditch effort," said Naiditsch analysing the game.
Bologan was a bit lucky to win against Leko. But his perseverance and the Hungarian's lacklustre play, after getting into an advantageous position, were the main factors.
Bologan has now beaten World No 3 (Anand) and No 4 (Leko) on successive days, a rare feat even for the best in the world. Both the games were played in the Caro Kann
defence, which will surely become Bologan's pet if it has not already.
The opening did not deter Leko and the Hungarian carried on nonchalantly in one of the main variations and had a substantial edge to boast of in the middle game.
A fighter to the core, Bologan hung in there with the right kind of defence and Leko could not keep the momentum ticking his way.
After a few exchanges Bologan was back in the game and his efforts were rewarded by Leko himself when the latter blundered on the 40th move by not trading queens. Soon Bologan piled on pressure to clinch the issue after 46 moves.
Results of Round 4:
Peter Leko (1.5, Hun) lost to Viktor Bologan (3.5, Mda); Viswanathan Anand (1) drew Vladimir Kramnik (2.5, Rus); Arkadi Naiditsch (2, Ger) beat Teimour Radjabov (1.5, Aze).
The moves:
V Anand vs Vladimir Kramnik:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. c3 Bg7 13. Nc2 O-O 14. Nce3 Be6 15. Bd3 f5 16. O-O Ra7 17. a4 Ne7 18. Nxe7+ Rxe7 19. axb5 axb5 20. Bc2 d5 21. Bb3 f4 22. Nxd5 Rd7 23. Nb4 Rxd1 24. Bxe6+ Kh8 25. Raxd1 (draw agreed).
A Naiditsch vs T Radjabov:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 Qc7 9. f4 Rb8 10. Bd3 Qb6 11. a3 Be7 12. Qe2 f5 13. Nf2 Bc5 14. Nd1 d6 15. c4 dxe5 16. cxd5 e4 17. Bc2 exd5 18. b4 Bd4 19. Bb2 a5 20. Qd2 Bxb2 21. Nxb2 axb4 22. Na4 e3 23. Qd3 Qa7 24. Rb1 O-O 25. axb4 Ba6 26. Qc3 Bc4 27. Nc5 Rb5 28. Bd3 Rxc5 29. bxc5 Bxd3 30. Qxd3 Qa5+ 31. Kd1 Qa4+ 32. Kc1 Re8 33. Re1 Qxf4 34. g3 Qe5 35. Rb2 g5 36. Kb1 d4 37. Rb7 Kh8 38. g4 Rb8 39. Rxb8+ Qxb8+ 40. Kc2 Qb4 41. Rb1 Qxc5+ 42. Kd1 Qd5 43. Qxf5 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qxh2+ 45. Kd3 Qd2+ 46. Ke4 Qc2+ 47. Kxd4 Qd2+ 48. Ke4 (black resigned).
Peter Leko vs Viktor Bologan:
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 8. Bd3 h6 9. N5f3 c5 10. Be3 Qc7 11. Ne5 a6 12. Ngf3 cxd4 13. Bxd4 Nbd5 14. O-O Bc5 15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Bxc5+ Qxc5 17. Bc4 Ke7 18. Bxd5 Nxd5 19. c4 Nf6 20. Rfd1 Bd7 21. b4 Qc7 22. Nd4 Rhd8 23. Rd3 Kf8 24. Rad1 Be8 25. h3 Nd7 26. Ng4
Qxc4 27. Qd2 Rac8 28. Nb3 Qc7 29. Rc1 Qb8 30. Rxc8 Qxc8 31. b5 Qc4 32. bxa6 bxa6 33. Rd6 Qb5 34. Nd4 Qb1+ 35. Kh2 Rc8 36. Nb3 Nc5 37. Nxc5 Rxc5 38. Rxa6 Qb8+ 39. Kg1 Rb5 40. Ne3 Rb1+ 41. Nd1 Qe5 42. Ra3 Qg5 43. Re3 Ba4 44. Kh2 Qf4+ 45. g3 Rxd1 46. Qd8+ Rxd8 (white resigned).
