15th Chess Game Ends in a Draw After 29 Moves

World chess champion Gary Kasparov and challenger Anatoly Karpov agreed Friday to a draw in the 15th game of their title match.

Kasparov leads 8 1/2 points to 6 1/2 with nine games left to play in the 24-game match. He needs only a 12-12 tie to retain his title.

The players agreed to the draw after 29 moves. Karpov, playing white, tested the opening preparation of the champion by choosing the complex Russian variation in response to Kasparov’s Gruenfeld Defense.

Karpov, 35, played the opening quickly, getting up from the board several times to pace the stage in what onlookers thought was an attempt to gain a psychological advantage.

He continued his enterprising play by producing a new move on his 12th turn.

Kasparov, 23, who won the crown from Karpov last November, pondered the situation and then responded by exchanging queens and simplifying the position to reach an endgame which grandmasters judged as equal.

The match, which moved to Leningrad last week after the first 12 games in London, is due to resume Monday.

Here are the moves:

Karpov-Kasparov 15: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 Qb3 dxc4 6 Qxc4 0-0 7 e4 Bg4 8 Be3 Nfd7 9 Rd1 Nc6 10 Be2 Nb6 11 Qc5 Qd6 12 e5 Qxc5 13 dxc5 Nc8 14 Nb5 rb8 15 Nxc7 e6 16 Nb5 N8e7 17 Rd2 b6 18 cxb6 axb6 19 Bg5 Nf5 20 B3 h6 21 Bf6 bxf3 22 Bxf3 nxe5 23 Bxe5 Bxe5 24 0-0 Rfd8 25 Rfd1 Rxd2 26 Rxd2 Rc8 27 g3 Rc1 28 Kg2 Kf8 29 Be4 Ke7 Draw agreed.