Gelfand Grabs It!

He saved the best till last to prove an unlikely winner. Boris Gelfand won the final game six against Alexander Grischuk in their Candidates Match Final in Kazan, Russia, and now earns the right for a shot at the world title.

Gelfand held his nerve the better as he ultimately benefitted from Grischuk's unwise decision to play a Grünfeld Defence in the deciding final game. As the game progressed, it became clear he was the one who had the better ‘feel' for the middlegame complications that ensued, and he soon rolled over his opponent in a game that turned into a massacre at the end.

Belarus-born Israeli Gelfand, 42, is now the official challenger in a world title match next year against World champion Vishy Anand of India. And for the first time since Viktor Korchnoi, the challenger is older than the champion! Gelfand is a year older than Anand, and has never been considered a serious World Championship contender in the past. Many questioned in press conferences in Kazan whether he was too old to mount such a challenge. “[Viktor] Korchnoi played his first World Championship match when he was 47," Gelfand pointed out.

See just exactly how Gelfand won the all-deciding final game in Kazan, as it has been expertly broken-down by our Game of the Day host, GM Alex Yermolinsky.