Anand settles for draw against Aronian at Candidates Chess

Playing with his first black in the tournament, Anand gave little chance to Aronian, who employed the 5.Bf4 variation in the Queen’s Gambit Declined with the white pieces. The Armenian had apparently taken a liking to Anish Giri's ploy after Giri had employed the variation against him in the first match to good effect. But Anand was well-prepared, and the Tiger of Madras outsmarted his opponent and started with 4…Nbd7, instead of committing his dark-squared bishop.

Both players were theoretical in their play and looked in a mood to match each other move for move. At the end, Anand was a pawn up, but with the opposite coloured bishop endgame, the match ended in a draw, with both players sharing the points.

Anand will next take on Italian-American Fabiano Caruana in the third round on Sunday.

(Read about Anand's victory over Topalov in the first round)