Sofia, Bulgaria: The fifth game of the 12-game World Chess Championship between Vishwanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov ended in a draw here on Friday.
The result helped Anand preserve the one-point lead over his Bulgarian challenger. The score now stands at 3-2.
Topalov started the game with white pieces, his third of the championship and again opened with the d pawan as he had in the two previous games. In a replay of game three, Anand used the Slav defence. It was expected that Topalov will find an improvement in the variation and fight for an opening advantage, but Anand denied him any such advantage.
According to the official FIDE website, it was Anand who first diverted from the earlier game by moving 15...h5 instead of 15...h6. Topalov continued with the logical 16. Ne2 having in mind Nf4, to exploit the newly created situation with Black pawn on h5.
Anand established a strong Knight outpost on e5 and traded off a pair of Rooks to reduce the White's chances of gaining initiative. After a further exchange of minor pieces, an endgame with Rook and Bishop versus Rook and Knight arose.
Anand's 29...g5 initiated changes in the pawn structure, which allowed him to solve one issue and concentrate on pieces' play. The Black Knight gradually suppressed the White Bishop, which eventually landed on the backward d1-square.
Right after the time-control, Topalov offered moves repetition before the situation went out of hand. Anand accepted the threefold repetition and draw was signed on move 44.
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