Opportunities Missed In Bilbao

The fourth round in Bilbao could easily have ended with two decisive games, but slight inaccuracies and perhaps fatigue crept in.

Anand's game with Shirov was a wild encounter, with Anand (pictured) seemingly fated to win and revive his chances to win the tournament.  However, Shirov managed to contrive a perpetual situation to draw (a Houdini-like escape, in the words of the official Bilbao twitter feed).

No less impressive an escape act was performed by Carlsen who found a path to a draw when all looked lost against Kramnik.  Carlsen had been seeking an advantage with the white pieces, but it was Kramnik who took an edge into the late middle-game and endgame.

Under great pressure, Carlsen managed to draw the rook endgame, but his tournament chances are now virtually over.

The standings after four rounds: