Chess World Cup: P. Hari Krishna, Vidit Gujrathi lose

P. Hari Krishna suffered his first loss in the World Cup chess championship after running into Russia’s Kirill Alekseenko in the first game of the third round.

Vidit Gujarathi (right) lost to USA’s Wesley So in 93 moves. [File photo]

P. Hari Krishna suffered his first loss in the World Cup chess championship after running into Russia’s Kirill Alekseenko in the first game of the third round here on Monday. Hari’s 52-move defeat with black pieces leaves him facing a must-win situation on Tuesday, when he plays with white pieces. Vidit Gujrathi, playing black, lost to USA’s Wesley So in 93 moves. Like Hari, Vidit too, plays with white pieces on Tuesday and needs a win to stay in the competition.  

The results (Involving Indians): Round 3: Game 1: Kirill Alekseenko (Rus, 2671) bt P. Hari Krishna (2746); Wesley So (USA, 2767) bt Vidit Gujrathi (2718).