Anand, Kramnik play out a draw in game two of No-Castling Chess

Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik played out a calm draw in the second game of the No-Castling Chess match for the Sparkassen Trophy at Dortmund.

Viswanathan Anand is leading 1.5-05 in the series after two games. - RAJEEV BHATT

Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik played out a calm draw in the second game of the No-Castling Chess match for the Sparkassen Trophy at Dortmund on Thursday. It was in sharp contrast to the exciting action in the opening game , which the Chennai maestro won by playing some precise moves at crucial junctures.

Once again, it began with the English Opening, which seems to be favoured by both the former world champions in this new variant of chess that doesn't allow the players to castle. Anand, with black pieces, didn't have too much trouble to equalise.

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The queens were off the board by the 11th move. After reaching a rook-and-minor-piece ending, the two men decided to sign the peace treaty by repetition. The game ended after 39 moves.

The match will resume on Saturday, after a day's rest. With two games remaining, Anand is leading 1.5-0.5.