By Xinhua
Mexico City : Viswanathan Anand of India and Boris Gelfand of Israel share the lead at four points in the World Chess Championship after the sixth round of matches with three draws and a win.
Anand tied his game Wednesday with Peter Leko of Hungary in a 21-move Ruy Lopez opening, while Gelfand defeated Russian Alexander Morozevich in a 50-move Queen’s Indian Defence.
Alexander Grischuk and Peter Svidler, both from Russia, played a 41-move draw with the Slav Defence and Levon Aronian of Armenia draw with Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in a 22-move Catalan opening.
After the sixth round game Anand told Xinhua: “I only worry about the game I have to play, I couldn’t care less about other games.”
Gelfand said: “I know I have to play against the strongest players in the next two rounds, Kramnik and Anand, but that does not affect my state of mind at all.”
Defending world champion Kramnik said: “I am still in the fight, I am only half a point behind the leaders. I do not understand why Aronian dared to play my favourite opening. He did not play aggressively.”
Morozevich said: “I do not think I can recover. I believe it is impossible for me to win this event.”
After the sixth round, Anand and Gelfand lead with four points each, Kramnik and Grischuk are tied for second place half a point behind, while Aronian and Svidler have 2.5 points and Svidler and Morozevich are on two points apiece.
The seventh-round pairings are Svidler-Aronian, Kramnik-Gelfand, Morozevich-Leko and Anand-Grischuk.