diff --git a/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/spans/ElementDistanceSpans.java b/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/spans/ElementDistanceSpans.java
index ab86e30..9930843 100644
--- a/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/spans/ElementDistanceSpans.java
+++ b/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/query/spans/ElementDistanceSpans.java
@@ -81,24 +81,28 @@
 
     @Override
     protected void setCandidateList () throws IOException {
-        if (candidateListDocNum == elements.doc()
-                && candidateListDocNum == secondSpans.doc()) {
-            candidateListIndex = -1;
-            addNewCandidates();
-        }
-        else {
-            candidateList.clear();
-            if (hasMoreFirstSpans
-                    && findSameDoc(firstSpans, secondSpans, elements)) {
-                candidateListDocNum = firstSpans.doc();
-                elementPosition = 0;
+        if (hasMoreSpans && hasMoreElements) {
+            if (candidateListDocNum == elements.doc()
+                    && candidateListDocNum == secondSpans.doc()) {
                 candidateListIndex = -1;
                 addNewCandidates();
             }
+            else {
+                candidateList.clear();
+                if (hasMoreFirstSpans
+                        && findSameDoc(firstSpans, secondSpans, elements)) {
+                    candidateListDocNum = firstSpans.doc();
+                    elementPosition = 0;
+                    candidateListIndex = -1;
+                    addNewCandidates();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            candidateList.clear();
         }
     }
 
-
     /**
      * Add new possible (candidate) firstspans. Candidate firstspans
      * must be in an element and not too far from the secondspan.
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/index/TestElementDistanceIndex.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/index/TestElementDistanceIndex.java
index 0e07964..7bd2bb8 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/index/TestElementDistanceIndex.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/index/TestElementDistanceIndex.java
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 import static de.ids_mannheim.korap.TestSimple.*;
 
 import org.apache.lucene.index.Term;
+import org.apache.lucene.search.spans.SpanOrQuery;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.spans.SpanQuery;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.spans.SpanTermQuery;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@
                 "[(0-1)s:b|_1$<i>0<i>1|<>:s$<b>64<i>0<i>2<i>1<b>0]"
                         + "[(1-2)s:d|_2$<i>1<i>2]"
                         + "[(2-3)s:b|_3$<i>2<i>3|<>:s$<b>64<i>2<i>3<i>3<b>0]"
-                        + "[(3-4)s:c|_4$<i>3<i>4|<>:s$<b>64<i>3<i>4<i>4<b>0]"
+                        + "[(3-4)s:c|_4$<i>3<i>4|<>:s$<b>64<i>3<i>5<i>5<b>0]"
                         + "[(4-5)s:d|_5$<i>4<i>5|<>:s$<b>64<i>4<i>5<i>5<b>0]"
                         + "[(5-6)s:d|_6$<i>5<i>6]");
         return fd;
@@ -101,6 +102,17 @@
                         + "[(5-6)s:d|_6$<i>5<i>6]");
         return fd;
     }
+    
+    private FieldDocument createFieldDoc5 () {
+        FieldDocument fd = new FieldDocument();
+        fd.addString("ID", "doc-5");
+        fd.addTV("tokens", "edef",
+                 "[(0-1)s:e|_1$<i>0<i>1]"
+                 + "[(1-2)s:d|_2$<i>1<i>2]"
+                 + "[(2-3)s:e|_3$<i>2<i>3]"
+                 + "[(3-4)s:f|_4$<i>3<i>4]");
+        return fd;
+    }
 
     public SpanQuery createQuery (String elementType, String x, String y,
             int min, int max, boolean isOrdered) {
@@ -295,4 +307,72 @@
                                                // ordered?
         assertEquals("[[ec]]ebdc", kr.getMatch(0).getSnippetBrackets());
     }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testNoMoreFirstSpans () throws IOException {
+        ki = new KrillIndex();
+        ki.addDoc(createFieldDoc3());
+        ki.addDoc(createFieldDoc5());
+        ki.commit();
+
+        // c or b
+        SpanOrQuery soq = new SpanOrQuery(
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:c")),
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:b")));
+        
+        // (c or b) /s0 d
+        SpanElementQuery e = new SpanElementQuery("tokens", "s");
+        SpanDistanceQuery sdq = new SpanDistanceQuery(
+                soq,
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:d")),
+                new DistanceConstraint(e, 0, 0, true, false), true);
+
+        kr = ki.search(sdq, (short) 10);
+        assertEquals(1, kr.getTotalResults());
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testNoMoreSecondSpans () throws IOException {
+        ki = new KrillIndex();
+        ki.addDoc(createFieldDoc3());
+        ki.addDoc(createFieldDoc5());
+        ki.commit();
+
+        // c or b
+        SpanOrQuery soq = new SpanOrQuery(
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:c")),
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:b")));
+        
+        // d /s0(c or b)
+        SpanElementQuery e = new SpanElementQuery("tokens", "s");
+        SpanDistanceQuery sdq = new SpanDistanceQuery(
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:d")),
+                soq,
+                new DistanceConstraint(e, 0, 0, true, false), true);
+
+        kr = ki.search(sdq, (short) 10);
+        assertEquals(0, kr.getTotalResults());
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testNoElementSpans () throws IOException {
+        ki = new KrillIndex();
+        ki.addDoc(createFieldDoc3());
+        ki.addDoc(createFieldDoc5());
+        ki.commit();
+
+        // c or e
+        SpanOrQuery soq = new SpanOrQuery(
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:c")),
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:e")));
+        
+        // (c or e) /s0 d
+        SpanElementQuery e = new SpanElementQuery("tokens", "s");
+        SpanDistanceQuery sdq = new SpanDistanceQuery(
+                soq,
+                new SpanTermQuery(new Term("tokens", "s:d")),
+                new DistanceConstraint(e, 0, 0, true, false), true);
+
+        kr = ki.search(sdq, (short) 10);
+    }
 }