A day after beating reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand in game 7 of the World Chess Championship, Israeli player Boris Gelfand faced his opponent yet again on Monday but lost the eighth set of the 12-part competition.
The overall winner in the championship, which is set to conclude on May 30, is to win $1.53 million, while the loser will get $1.02 million.
Wednesday's win marked a giant step toward making history and winning the coveted world title. The consequent setback tied the championship at 4:4, with four games to go.
Gelfand's wife, Maya, expressed confidence in her husband's skills on Monday: "I disregard other people's opinions. I know he can win."
She said that she does not consider the competition a pleasant experience, but as "hard work."
"Boris is focused, he's very tense, he's gathering all his strength," she told Ynet. "He has no time for excitement, it's time to work."