GCL | Carlsen succumbs to time pressure; Knights increase lead at the top
Time trouble: World No. 1 Carlsen was humbled by Firouzja.
| Photo Credit: GLOBAL CHESS LEAGUE
Speed chess has become speedier in Season 2 of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. Since the players get no increment for the moves they make, one could lose on time, from winning positions that is. That happened to the World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen on day two of the league at Friends House here on Friday.
Playing on the Icon board for Alpine SG Pipers, the Norwegian was on course for a victory against Frenchman Firouzja Alireza of Triveni Continental Kings. Carlsen had just turned his pawn into queen and had also the bishop, while his rival only had the lone knight, with which, of course, you could force a checkmate theoretically.
Thus Alireza, for whom Carlsen has the highest regard among the game’s young talents, won. Continental Kings won the match too, 17-4. Apart from Alireza, there were also wins for Wei Yi, Valentina Gunina and Javokhir Sindarov.
upGrad Mumba Masters also impressed in its 14-5 win against Ganges Grandmasters.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated Viswanathan Anand in the battle of the Icon players, and there were also wins for Koneru Humpy and Raunak Sadhwani.
But the day belonged to PGB Alaskan Knights, which won both its matches — against Gambits (14-2) and Mumba Masters (8-5).
Knights thus moved into the lead at the end of the seventh match, with nine points. Mumba Masters, Continental Kings, Pipers and American Gambits are on three points.
The results: Triveni Continental Kings bt Alpine SG Pipers 17-4 (Firouzja Alireza bt Magnus Carlsen; Wei Yi bt R. Praggnanandhaa; Teimour Radjabov lost to Richard Rapport; Alexandra Kosteniuk drew with Hou Yifan; Valentina Gunina bt Kateryna Lagno; Javokhir Sindarov bt Daniel Dardha).
PGB Alaskan Knights bt American Gambits 14-2 (Anish Giri drew with Hikaru Nakamura; Nodirbek Abdusattorov drew with Jan-Krzysztof Duda; Shakhriyar Mamyedarov bt Yu Yangyi; Tan Zhongyi bt Bibisara Assaubayeva; Alina Kashlinskaya bt Elisabeth Paehtz; Nihal Sarin bt Jonas Buhl Bjerre).
upGrad Mumba Masters bt Ganges Grandmasters 14-5 (Maxime Vachier-Lagrave bt Viswanathan Anand; Vidit Gujrathi drew with Arjun Erigaisi; Peter Svidler lost to Parham Maghsoodloo; Koneru Humpy bt R. Vaishali; D. Harika drew with Nurgyul Salimova; Raunak Sadhwani bt Volodar Murzin).
Alaskan Knights bt Mumba Masters 8-5 (Giri drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Abdusattorov drew with Gujrathi; Mamyedarov drew with Svidler; Tan drew with Humpy; Kashlinskaya drew with Harika; Nihal bt Sadhwani).
(The correspondent is London at the invitation of Tech Mahindra)
Published – October 05, 2024 12:18 am IST
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