Kasparov Calls a Timeout in Chess Match

World chess champion Gary Kasparov took his third and final timeout Monday in his title match with Anatoly Karpov, postponing the 19th game until Wednesday.

Experts said Kasparov would use the rest to calm his nerves, frayed by two consecutive losses to Karpov.

The champion had a seemingly invincible lead of 9 1/2 points to 6 1/2 for Karpov after the 16th game of the 24-game match. But Karpov fought back to win the 17th and 18th games, narrowing the score to 9 1/2 to 8 1/2.

Karpov still needs two more victories in the remaining six games to recapture the chess crown he held for 10 years before Kasparov, a fellow Soviet grandmaster, won it from him last November.

The players are awarded one point for a win and half a point each for a draw. In the event of a 12-12 tie, Kasparov would retain the title.