Chess Title Match : Kasparov and Karpov Draw in 10th Game

World chess champion Gary Kasparov gave up trying to convert a slight advantage to a victory Saturday and agreed to a draw in the 10th game of his title competition against Anatoly Karpov.

Fifty minutes before play was to resume in the game, which was adjourned Friday night, Kasparov offered and Karpov accepted the seventh draw of the championship, officials announced.

The result left Kasparov with a 5 1/2-4 1/2-point lead over Karpov in the $920,000 championship rematch. Two games remain to be played in London before the championship shifts to Leningrad in September for the final 12 games.

“Kasparov certainly analyzed the position so long that he decided it wasn’t winnable,” British grandmaster Jonathan Mestel said.

Kasparov’s 44th move that was sealed Friday night was king to f5, a repetition of moves he made earlier while testing the 35-year-old Karpov’s defensive barrier in the endgame.

Many experts were surprised when the 23-year-old champion did not offer a draw Friday night, but one said it appeared Kasparov wanted to keep the pressure on his older opponent to try to wear him down.

Here are the moves:

Kasparov-Karpov 10: 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 be7 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Bg5 h6 6 Bxf6 Bxf6 7 e3 0-0 8 Rc1 c6 9 Bd3 Nd7 10 0-0 dxc4 11 Bxc4 e5 12 h3 exd4 13 exd4 c5 14 Bb3 cxd4 15 Nd5 b6 16 Nxd4 Bxd4 17 Qxd4 Nc5 18 Bc4 Bb7 19 Rfd1 Rc8 20 Qg4 Bxd5 21 Rxd5 Qe7 22 Rcd1 Qe4 23 Qxe4 Nxe4 24 Ba6 Nf6 25 Bxc8 Nxd5 26 Ba6 Nf6 27 f4 Re8 28 Kf2 Kf8 29 Kf3 Re7 30 Rd8+ Re8 31 Rxe8+ Nxe8 32 Ke4 Ke7 33 Bc4 Nc7 34 Ke5 f6+ 35 Kf5 Ne8 36 Ke4 Nc7 37 h4 Kd6 38 Kf5 Ke7 39 Kg6 Kf8 40 Kf5 Ke7 41 Ke4 Kd6 42 g4 Ke7 43 B4 Kd6 Game adjourned. Draw agreed. 44 (sealed) Kf5.