Wijk aan Zee (The Netherlands), Jan 26 (IANS): Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna pulled off a thrilling draw against world champion Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in the 10th round to hold on to his eighth position in the Tata Steel Chess tournament.

The World No.11 Indian, playing in whites, was locked in an intense game that lasted more than two hours here on Wednesday. He now has a total of five points from 10 rounds with three more games left to be played.

Both the players had their chances to win in an interesting contest. But with time running out and a result looking highly unlikely, the players decided to end the match in a tie and take half a point each.

"It was a complex game and we had to eventually settle for a draw," Harikrishna said after the match.

The Indian, with a rating of 2770, has won one, drew eight while losing one game in the campaign so far.

After a day's rest, Harikrishna will now take on Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri in his next round on Friday.