Shirov Self-Destructs in León

Vishy Anand extended his lead over Alexei Shirov in their rapid match in León, winning their third game with the black pieces in just 17 moves.

Shirov's king was helplessly stuck in the centre and was about to feel the full force of an invading army.  Shirov seems to have no answer to Anand's Caro-Kann defence.

Game four was drawn, leaving Anand with a commanding 3-1 lead going into the final day.  Shirov will have to win both remaining games to take the contest to blitz tie-breaks.

The start of the disastrous third game for Shirov

The final day's games start as usual at 16:30 local time in Spain (14:30 UTC, 10:30 Eastern).  The time control is 45 minutes plus a 30 second increment.

The official site can be found here. The direct link for the games broadcast is here, and there is live video with Spanish commentary here.

Photos from the official tournament Facebook page.