Nice and steady

In a 17-mover draw this morning, Topalov held off his most serious threat in San Luis - India's Vishy Anand. Mig said it best, "If Topalov the topadora is going to be slowed down with enough time left for it to matter, today is the day". Alas, it wasn't to be.

In this morning's encounter, Topalov invited Anand to a game of chicken with 7...g5. The Indian blinked - obviously fearing a diabolical ambush. In her commentary, Susan Polgar was clearly disappointed:

On move 13, Anand decided to sacrifice a piece to create a very dangerous pin on the f6 Knight. However, Anand shockingly decided to force a draw by repetition instead of trying for a win with moves such as 15. dxe5 or 15. Nc4. He basically resigned from the tournament and handed the World Championship to Topalov.

A 50% score from the remaining games will win the crown for Topalov.

In Morozevich - Leko, today, the swashbuckling Russian scored his third straight victory. His 14. g3 appears to be a rarity and may have caught the Hungarian off-guard. Moro now has 5/9 and will exchange blows against Topa tomorrow. For the sake of excitement, I'm tipping a Morozevich win.

Round 10

Leko – Svidler, .5-.5
Topalov – Morozevich, 0-1
Kasimdzhanov – Polgar, 0-1
Adams – Anand, 0-1