In the end, Boris Gelfand prevailed. All four games in regular time were draws, which meant that the match went to tie-breaks. Gelfand scored a win with the white pieces in the second rapid game. After the third game was a draw, Ponomarev was forced to play for a win with the black pieces in game four which he did! A two-game blitz match was played to try and break the tie. Gelfand won the 1st game, forcing to Ponomarev to win the second game (this time with white), which he did again, forcing another two-game blitz match. Gelfand won game 3, which finally held up as Ponomarev went down in defeat in game 4. Gelfand won the blitz match 3-1, winning a spot in the 2010 Candidates tournament, which will determine a challenger for the world champion in 2011.
Probable Candidates Tournament:
Gata Kamsky (loser of Topalov-Kamsky)
Levon Aronian (winner of 2008-2009 Grand Prix)
Boris Gelfand (winner of 2009 World Cup)
Magnus Carlsen (rating wildcard)
Vladimir Kramnik (2nd rating wildcard)
Visi Anand or Veselin Topalov (loser of Anand-Topalov match)
2nd place finisher of Grand Prix
Nominee of Host Nation (min 2700 FIDE)
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