Challenger Peter Leko of Hungary defeated Russian world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik in the Swiss resort of Brissago today to even their match for the world title at two and a half points each.
Kramnik, playing Black, resigned before making his 69th move. Leko had the material advantage of a Rook and three Pawns against a Bishop and three Pawns and also had a more active King in the endgame. The White King was slowly putting Black's King in a mating net. It was only a matter of time before Black would have been checkmated or would have had to sacrifice his remaining Pawns to avoid immediate loss.
Many observers, including me, thought the game was headed to a draw until Kramnik blundered late in the game.
This is Leko's first victory of the match. Kramnik won the first game on September 25 and the other three games ended in draws.
The match is scheduled for fourteen games. The winner will be the first player to gain 7.5 points, with a victory counting as a full point and a draw as half a point. Kramnik will retain his title in the event the match ends in a 7-7 tie.
The sixth game is scheduled for tomorrow at 3 pm Swiss time (6 am PDT). Kramnik will play White.
Official match siteKibitizing (including some of my own) on chessgames.com