Legends of Chess: Anand faces must-win situation

Viswanathan Anand kept Peter Leko at bay in the first and third game, but lost the second. The Indian is now staring at a must-win situation in Game Four.

In the fifth round, Peter Leko bounced back to beat Viswanathan Anand 3-2.

Following a tame surrender in the second game, Viswanathan Anand was staring at a must-win situation in Game Four after Ian Nepomniachtchi took a 2-1 lead in their sixth-round clash in chess24 Legends of Chess on Sunday.

After Peter Leko bounced back to beat Anand 3-2 in the fifth round, the struggling Indian came up with a series of fine defensive moves to keep the Russian at bay in the first and third game. In the second, Anand committed an early blunder and had to trade his queen for two rooks, but soon lost in 34 moves.

On a day when Magnus Carlsen defeated an off-form Ding Liren 2.5-1.5 in a match rescheduled four hours before the usual starting time, Peter Svidler bounced back against Vassily Ivanchuk by winning the second game after losing the first.

Vladimir Kramnik, on the brink of losing the match against Boris Gelfand after being precariously placed in the third game, benefited from an oversight from his rival, gained a rook and levelled the match-score at 1.5-1.5.

Peter Leko rallied to beat Anish Giri in the third game to draw level with a clinical display. Giri drew first blood by winning the second game.

Sixth-round result: Magnus Carlsen (Nor) bt Ding Liren (Chn) 2.5-1.5. Game One: Viswanathan Anand drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus); Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr) bt Peter Svidler (Rus); Boris Gelfand (Isr) bt Vladimir Kramnik (Rus); Peter Leko (Hun) drew with Anish Giri (Ned). Game Two: Nepomniachtchi bt Anand; Svidler bt Ivanchuk; Kramnik drew with Gelfand; Giri bt Leko. Game Three: Anand drew with Nepomniachtchi; Ivanchuk drew with Svidler; Gelfand lost to Kramnik; Leko bt Giri.