A draw in the 10th round of the Corus International Chess tournament has cost Viswanathan Anand his joint lead.
He was held to a draw by two-time world junior champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and tallies seven out of 10 points.
Topalov, on the other hand, was unstoppable against World cup winner Levon Aronian of Armenia as he regained his sole lead on 7.5 points after another fantastic performance in the category 19 event.
With just three rounds to go after the tournament's final rest day on Thursday, Topalov yet again looks to be a clear favourite for the crown in the first major event of the year.
The third place was jointly held by Michael Adams of England and Boris Gelfand of Israel, who drew in the 10th round and were both on six points.
Keeping Anand in contention for the title is the fact that the Indian ace has still got two white games to back him in the last three rounds.
However, the lone black game is against Topalov in the penultimate round and Anand will have to hold the San Luis World Championship winner to remain in contention for the top honours in the 14-player event being played on a round-robin basis.
{{/usCountry}}However, the lone black game is against Topalov in the penultimate round and Anand will have to hold the San Luis World Championship winner to remain in contention for the top honours in the 14-player event being played on a round-robin basis.
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