One might expect relatively quiet rounds after a day full of excitement. Well, that just does not happen at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. In the first match, five out of six games ended decisively. Levon Aronian, Wei Yi and Sara Khadem scored crucial wins for their team, Triveni Continental Kings. Their 3-0 (10-9) victory over Chingari Gulf Titans ensured the team still has mathematical chances to win the event. Andrey Esipenko scored the crucial win for his team, Ganges Grandmasters. Thus, GG are once again atop the standings with 15/24. Tomorrow will be the penultimate day of the double round-robin stage. There will be four matches starting from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. | Photo: Maria Emelianova
Vishy Anand vs Magnus Carlsen games are always the highly anticipated encounter of the day, no matter the event. The rematch between two of the greatest was arguably the game of the tournament so far. The endgame seemed to be heading towards a draw when the world no.1 went for a break. It actually allowed Anand to salvage a draw. However, time trouble induced a human error, turning things once again towards the Norwegian's favor. After an exchange of smiles, tha avoidance of a stalemate trap and an underpromotion, Carlsen defeated Anand in a stellar game. His and Praggnanandhaa's win ensured SG Alpine Warriors knocking off Ganges Grandmasters from the top of the leaderboard. Tomorrow will be the last day to feature two matches in the double round-robin stage, starting at 5:30 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. IST. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Vishy Anand has defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda twice in five days. The legend continues to make it look easy. The Poland no.1 sacrificed an exchange and things did not work out for him. Anand's win did not help the team though, as he scored the sole victory for Ganges Grandmasters. Yifan Hou had a great chance to win against Alexandra Kosteniuk. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't find a way in time trouble. Harika Dronavalli and Jonas Buhl Bjerre scored crucial victories for upGrad Mumba Masters to beat Triveni Continetal Kings. Both rematches had the inverse overall match result of their first encounter at this event. There will be two matches tomorrow, starting at 5:30 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. IST. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Vishy Anand continues to lead by example. Once again he won the battle of the 'Icons', this time against Levon Aronian (TCK). While his three points were confirmed, his teammates Leinier Domingueze, Hou Yifan and Bella Khotenashvili scored emphatic wins to ensure that their team scored the biggest victory of the event in terms of game points: 14-2. Balan Alaskan Knights overcame their 3-15 loss as they beat the top team, SG Alpine Warriors, by the minimum margin 3-0 (10-9). Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Tan Zhongyi and Nino Batsiashvili's wins rendered R Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen's individual triumphs ineffective as they only added game points, while BAK won the match. The action on Tuesday kicks off at 5:30 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. IST. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Former sole leader Arjun Erigaisi faltered on the second day of blitz at the Satty Zhuldyz Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kazakhstan. The only two-time FIDE World Cup winner in history, Levon Aronian, took his chance and won the event with a round to spare. Arjun finished second with 21½/33 points and Haik Martirosyan finished third with 21/33. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy