Game 9 Ends in Draw; Anand on Verge of Championship

Vladimir Kramnik gave a strong effort in trying to win with the Black pieces, and managed to steer the game into a sharp Anti-Moscow Gambit. But despite gaining perhaps his biggest advantage of the match, Kramnik was unable to secure a win, and Viswanathan Anand's lead moved to 6-3 with three games to play.

White: Viswanathan Anand
Black: Vladimir Kramnik
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.Qc2 Nbd7 11.Rd1 Bb4 12.Ne5 Qe7 13.0-0 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 0-0 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.f4 Qg7 17.e5 c5 18.Nxb5 cxd4 19.Qxc4 a5 20.Kh1 Rac8 21.Qxd4 gxf4 22.Bf3 Ba6 23.a4 Rc5 24.Qxf4 Rxe5 25.b3 Bxb5 26.axb5 Rxb5 27.Be4 Bc3 28.Bc2 Be5 29.Qf2 Bb8 30.Qf3 Rc5 31.Bd3 Rc3 32.g3 Kh8 33.Qb7 f5 34.Qb6 Qe5 35.Qb7 Qc7 36.Qxc7 Bxc7 37.Bc4 Re8 38.Rd7 a4 39.Rxc7 axb3 40.Rf2 Rb8 41.Rb2 h5 42.Kg2 h4 43.Rc6 hxg3 44.hxg3 Rg8 45.Rxe6 Rxc4 draw agreed.

As The Week in Chess aptly put it, in golf terms, Anand now sits "dormie 3." All he needs to do to take the match is secure a draw in any of the three remaining games; Kramnik must win each game to continue the match and hope to get back to a 6-6 tie.

The odds are against Kramnik (to say the least), but a win tomorrow would put at least a little drama in the proceedings -- if only to show us what Kramnik will play when he needs to maximize his winning chances as Black and he knows a draw is as bad as a loss. Of course, to even get to that point, Kramnik will have to break through tomorrow -- which, after the first 9 games, seems unlikely.