Kasparov, Karpov Adjourn 10th Game

Champion Gary Kasparov and challenger Anatoly Karpov adjourned the 10th game of the world chess championship Friday, and experts said the game is likely to end in a draw. The game is to be resumed today, but some commentators said they thought the players would agree to a tie without playing further.

Kasparov, playing white in the 10th game, holds a 5-4 lead.

The champion arrived at the board first, and Karpov was more than three minutes late. In a gesture of sportsmanship, however, Kasparov did not play a move when his clock was started, but allowed his own time to run until Karpov arrived. Kasparov then pushed his queen’s pawn forward two squares.

The opening followed a well-known variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, until Karpov played a new move on his 13th. Kasparov thought for 14 minutes about his reply, and later established a strong knight in the center.

The winner of the match will be the first player to score six victories or 12 1/2 points. Winning a game is worth one point; a draw is worth half a point.