The tiebreak is getting closer and closer now that the 10th match game between Vishy Anand and Boris Gelfand also ended in a draw. Today Anand returned to 1.e4 and went for a Rossolimo Sicilian (3.Bb5) instead of allowing another Sveshnikov. Gelfand came up with a new setup, and held equality quite easily.

The handshake at the start of game 10 in Moscow

The score in Moscow is 5-5 with just two more games to play. Game 11 is scheduled for Saturday and the last game will be played on Monday. If the score is 6-6, a rapid/blitz tiebreak will be played on Wednesday.

In the 10th match game it seemed that the whole atmosphere of the first half of the match was back again. As if nothing had happened, no decisive games, no blunder, no big advantage for Gelfand the day before, the players added another friendly draw to the score. This was the story on a superficial level, but as always much more was going on behind the scenes.

What was the situation? Three games to play, two whites for Anand, one for Gelfand. If the World Champion wanted to try and decide the match in the classical games, it was this 10th match game that perhaps suited most. One can take some risks when there are still two games to play, but in the last game it's tricky.

Anand didn't repeat the 3.f3 Grünfeld with which he had won his previous white game in 17 moves. Why? We can only guess, but one explanation is that he needs more time to find something against the 3...c5 move. Another option is that he has some big idea against the Grünfeld, which he likes to play only in the last game. 

No 3.f3 Grünfeld, no Sveshnikov, but the Rossolimo Sicilian

In any case, it was a 3.Bb5 (Rossolimo) Sicilian today and it was quite impressive to see that even against a sideline (Anand hadn't played 5.b3 before) Gelfand had prepared a whole new idea: 5...e5.

It is always nice to play a novelty on move five,

said Gelfand.

It usually happens on move 20 or 25.

To avoid getting a bishop on b2 biting granite, White had to take the pawn and this quickly led to a queenless middlegame with a better structure for White but the bishop pair for Black.

Peter Svidler and Alexander Morozevich, who were doing commentary together for about an hour, felt that the position was equal, but easier to play for White. When Gelfand found the excellent idea of trading one bishop for a knight followed by ...f5 he had more or less equalized.

On move 21 Gelfand offered a draw, but at first Anand declined.

I thought I had something with Nd2-b3 but later I decided to return the offer.

Here's our video of today, which includes an interview with Morozevich at the end. He has some strong opinions!

It remains to be seen whether one of the players is willing to take big risks in the remaining two games on Saturday and Monday. It seems more likely that we'll have a tiebreak that will decide the match next Wednesday, just like in 2006 between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov.

PGN string

The players today at the press conference. Gelfand: "I want to praise Vishy because with him the idea of the champion keeping the title in the case of a tie or the champion having an automatic revenge match vanished completely. It is out-dated, hopefully forever.”

Match score