Game 9 of the World Chess Championship ended in a draw Wednesday, leaving the score between Israeli player Boris Gelfand and reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand tied at 4.5-4.5.
Gelfand was playing white, and managed to achieve an advantageous position over Anand. But later in the game Anand managed to build a strong defensive position around the king that Gelfand couldn't break through to win. The players agreed to a draw.
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Earlier this week, after six straight draws in the championship, Gelfand – considered the underdog – won Game 7 and gained an advantage of 3:4 in the series. But a day later he lost the eighth match of the championship to Anand, who chalked up his first victory of the championship and brought the score to 4:4.
Anand and Gelfand face off in an earlier match (Photo: EPA)
Four games remain, unless the draw holds.
"Boris is feeling fine. There's not a lot of time in this competition and he is only looking as far ahead as the next game. We speak very little, only a few minutes a day," Gelfand's wife, Maya, said shortly before his loss in Game 8.