London, Dec. 10: World champion Viswanathan Anand had to settle for a draw with lowest rated David Howell of England but local hero Luke McShane downed compatriot Nigel Short to shoot into sole lead after the second round of the London Chess Classic on Friday.
After drawing the first game against Hikaru Nakamura of the United States from a position of strength, Anand could not do much against Howell’s solid play. The soccer-like scoring system does not favour players who draw many games as only one point is awarded for this result while for a win three points are given. As a result of his two draws, Anand slipped to sixth spot in the overall rankings with two points in his bag.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway came back into reckoning with a thumping victory over Michael Adams of England.