Tal Memorial Round Four

Round four at the Tal Memorial produced plenty of exciting chess, but for the first time there were no decisive games as a result of the action.

Nakamura threw everything he could at Kramnik's Petroff defence, but the Russian managed to hold on for a draw.

Cellar-dwellers Shirov and Eljanov both had black today and both gamely held on for draws to get their first points on the scoreboard.

Gelfand and Grischuk fought an incredibly complicated game, and this time it was the black pieces of Grischuk that held the upper hand.  However, Gelfand slipped from his grasp for a remarkable draw.

Mamedyarov and Aronian had a more workmanlike encounter which also ended all-square.  Fans of the Armenian will be happy to hear that as a result of his strong start in Moscow, Aronian has moved up one place to #2 on the unofficial live ratings list, pushing world champion Anand back down to #3.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the first and only rest day of the event, so round five is on Wednesday.

The standings after round four:

Kramnik held for a draw against Nakamura

Mamedyarov couldn't make a dent in Aronian's armour

Photos by Anna Burtasovoy at the official website.