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 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. 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, whom Carlsen has the highest regard among the game’s young talents, won. Continental Kings won the match too, by a huge margin – 17-4. Apart from Alireza, there were also wins for Wei Yi, Valentina Gunina and Javokhir Sindarov.
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.
But the day belonged to PGB Alaskan Knights, which won both its matches – against American Gambits (14-2) and Upgrad Mumba Masters (8-5). Alaskan 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
(The writer is in London at the invitation of Tech Mahindra).
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