India's defending world champion Viswanathan Anand drew with Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand for the fifth consecutive game for the World Chess Championship at Moscow's State Tretyakov Gallery on Thursday.
Both player used the Sicilian Defence, which led to a draw after Anand, playing as white, made his 27th move.
The series score is level at 2.5-2.5, with each competitor getting half a point per draw.
Anand, 42, has held the undisputed World Chess Champion title since October 2008, when he defeated Russia's Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn, Germany. He defended his title in 2009 by beating Bulgarian opponent Veselin Topalov 6.5–5.5 in Sofia.
Gelfand, 43, gained the right to become the world title contender after a win last May against Russia's Alexander Grischuk at a contenders' tournament in Kazan, Russia. The sixth game will take place Friday.
After a total of 12 games over three weeks winner will receive $1.5 million, while the loser will earn $1 million.
In the case of a draw after 12 games with the normal tournament time limit of 60 to 180 minutes per move, a tie-break will be held May 30, with the grandmasters playing four games with a shortened time limit of 15 to 60 minutes before two blitz matches with a limit of five minutes.
Russian billionaire and Gelfand’s school friend Andrey Filatov paid $7 million from his own pocket to hold the event in one of the halls of the renowned State Tretyakov Gallery before the eyes of some 400 spectators.
Many others follow the matches on the huge electronic board hanging outside.
