After six draws, Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand finally recorded the first win of his World Chess Crown series against India's defending world champion Viswanathan Anand in Moscow on Sunday.
Playing as black, Anand surrendered after the 38th move, giving Gelfand the 4-3 lead after six consecutive draws. The grandmasters played Slav defense, as they did in the second and fourth games.
The eighth game at Moscow's State Tretyakov Gallery will take place Monday.
Anand, 42, has held the undisputed World Chess Champion title since October 2008, when he defeated Russia's Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn, Germany. He defended his title in 2009 by beating Bulgarian opponent Veselin Topalov 6.5–5.5 in Sofia.
Gelfand, 43, gained the right to become the world title contender after a win last May against Russia's Alexander Grischuk at a contenders' tournament in Kazan, Russia.
After a total of 12 games over three weeks winner will receive $1.5 million, while the loser will earn $1 million.
In the case of a tied series, a tie-breaker will be held May 30, with the grandmasters playing four games with a shortened time limit of 60 minutes from 120 minutes per player.
If that fails to determine a winner, it turns to Armageddon, whereby the white gets five minutes compared with just four for black, who is named the winner in the event of a stalemate.
Russian billionaire and Gelfand’s school friend Andrey Filatov paid $7 million from his own pocket to hold the event in one of the halls of the renowned State Tretyakov Gallery before the eyes of some 400 spectators.
Many others follow the matches on the huge electronic board hanging outside.
