In Season 2 of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, speed chess has become speedier. Since the players get no increment for the moves they make, anybody could lose on time, from winning positions that is.
That happened on day two of the league at Friends House, here on Friday. And it happened to the World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.
Playing on the Icon board for Alpine SG Pipers, the Norwegian genius was on course for a victory for the Iran-born Frenchman Alireza Firouzja of Triveni Continental Kings. He had just turned his pawn into the queen and had also the bishop, while his rival only had the lone knight, with which, of course, you could force a checkmate. Thus Alireza, whom Carlsen has the highest regard among the world’s young talents, was declared the winner.
Continental Kings won the match too, by a huge margin – 17-4. Apart from Alireza, there were also wins for Wei Yie, who beat R. Praggnanandhaa, Valentina Gunina and Javokhir Sindarov.
PGB Alaskan Knights also scored a convincing victory, 14-2 against American Gambits. It was fashioned by Shakhriyar Mamyedarov, Tan Zhongyi, Alina Kashlinskaya and Nihal Sarin, who all won their games.
Upgrad Mumba Masters also impressed in their 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, who beat compatriot R. Vaishali, and Raunak Sadhwani, who got the better of Volodar Murzin.
At the end of five rounds of matches, Alaskan Knights is in the lead with nine points, having won all its three matches. Mumba Masters is in second place with three match points.
The results
(The writer is in London at the invitation of Tech Mahindra).
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