Gelfand Draws A Blank In Game Four
Another day, another draw in the final of the Candidates event in Kazan.
The game started half an hour late due to some noise disturbance at the venue. Once they finally got underway Boris Gelfand had the white pieces for the second time and was rather less adventurous, with both players spending plenty of time trying to subtly 'move-order' one another in another Symmetrical English opening.
After just 18 moves, with bishop exchanges looming, Gelfand offered a draw and Grischuk gladly took the half point.
A disappointing result for chess fans, but we can't expect every game to be thrilling. Unfortunately, the dearth of decisive results throughout the whole of the Candidates event has hardly made it an attractive showcase for potential commercial sponsors.
What are the odds on rapid tie-breaks now? It would be a brave gambler that bet against it.
| Name | Nat | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total |
| Grischuk, Alexander | RUS | 2747 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | . | . | 2 |
| Gelfand, Boris | ISR | 2733 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | . | . | 2 |
Game 5 starts on Tuesday 24 May at 3pm in Kazan (11:00 UTC, 07:00 Eastern). Live coverage is available at the official website, and live video of the games is available here.
