Global Chess League in Dubai: World No.1 Carlsen defeats Indian legend Viswanathan Anand
Ganges Grandmasters still hold on to lead
World No.1 Grandmaster (GM) Magnus Carlsen prevailed over Indian legend GM Viswanathan Anand in the battle of icons, but the Norwegian’s heroics was not enough to dislodge the Ganges Grandmasters from the pole position after two rounds of play in the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League at the Le Meridien hotel on Friday.
Anand’s Ganges Grandmasters prevailed over Carlsen’s SG Alpine Warriors, 11-6, anchored on wins by GM Richard Rapport, who overpowered Indian teenage sensation GM Gukesh Dommaraju, and GM Bella Khotenashvili, who flipped a losing position into a win over GM Elisabeth Paehtz.
The Ganges Grandmasters now have six points, three points ahead of the field.
Carlsen’s much-anticipated debut in the tournament was met with mixed results as he settled for a draw in his first game on day two with Russia’s GM Ian Nepomniachtchi of the Balan Alaskan Knights in a rematch between the two protagonists of the 2021 World Chess Championship in Dubai.
Wins by GM Irina Krush against reigning women’s world rapid chess champion GM Tan Zhongyi and GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa over fellow Indian prodigy GM Raunak Sadhwani provided the decisive margins to give Carlsen’s Alpine Warriors the match victory.
Against Anand, Carlsen quickly built an advantage in an English Opening. A faulty pawn push by the Indian on the 13th move gave the Norwegian strong pressure against black’s hanging pawns, which Carlsen converted into a pawn advantage.
“There’s always a special touch when we play,” said Anand, who surrendered the point on the 45th move with Carlsen nursing an unopposed passed pawn on the a-file.
“It was good to play Vishy, but right now I am more concerned about my team,” said Carlsen, whose team is in joint second place with three points alongside the Triveni Continental Kings, UpGrad Mumba Masters and Balan Alaskan Knights.
The Continental Kings bounced back from a first-round loss by beating the still-winless Chingari Gulf Titans. Wei Yi, the Chinese grandmaster who holds the record for being the youngest player to cross the 2700 rating level, again provided the team’s lone win, beating Russian GM Daniil Dubov. GM Sarin Nihal won for the Gulf Titans while the rest of the games ended in draws, but the Continental Kings had the black pieces, which meant they received an extra point in the game points tally, enough to secure the match win.
The Balan Alaskan Knights likewise rebounded from their loss to Carlsen’s Alpine Warriors with a dominating victory over the Mumba Masters, who were gunning for their second-straight match win and a seat at the top of the leaderboard.
Wins by GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, GM Tan Zhongyi and GM Raunak Sadhwani on the black side put the match out of reach for the Alaskan Knights, who could only produce a lone win by GM Harika Dronavalli.
