Anand, Topalov stay level after 3rd game

Chess is an awesome game, and playing it to anywhere near the level of these two grandmasters would be extremely rewarding. However, it takes hours upon hours of daily study for years, in addition to having the natural talent to go with it and incredible mental toughness to reach this level of play. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

SOFIA (AFP) – India’s defending champion Viswanathan Anand and his Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov ended with a draw on Tuesday, in the third game in their 12-game duel for the world chess title.

The two grandmasters negotiated the draw on the 46th move, allowing them to keep the score level at 1.5-1.5 points, each of them having already won one game.

The fourth game was scheduled for 1200 GMT Wednesday, when Anand will play white.

The 40-year-old Indian, known as the “Tiger from Madras”, first became World Champion in 2007 and already defended his title once in 2008.

He was ranked fourth on the March 2010 ratings list by the FIDE international chess federation.

The 35-year-old Topalov, who is currently ranked number two by FIDE, won the right to challenge Anand by beating Gata Kamsky of the United States in the semi-final in February 2009.

The winner of the duel will win a prize of 1.2 million euros (1.58 million dollars), while the loser will take home 800,000 euros.

Chess fans can follow all games online at www.anand-topalov.com.