Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen turned again the clock for a now-rare showdown within the coronary heart of London because the World Chess League conflict between their sides, Ganges Grandmasters and Alpine SG Pipers, ended with a victory for Carlsen’s staff.
The 2 former world champions performed out a 48-move draw at Pal’s Home however not earlier than each of Anand’s rooks took turns to harass Carlsen’s king. Carlsen’s monarch, although, slid across the canvas of 64 squares evading Anand’s overtures. The brand new format being debuted at this 12 months’s World Chess League mandates that there might be no increments in video games, which means each gamers have simply 20 minutes on the clock, regardless of what number of strikes the sport lasts. The analysis bar for the sport most likely had the quietest evening of its life, barely needing to spike in anybody’s favour as the 2 legends crossed swords.
“This was not one of the best one (when it comes to preparation) as a result of I didn’t know which color I had till half-hour earlier than the sport. I’ve not had time to heat up as a result of that is simply the primary recreation within the league,” Anand instructed The Indian Specific after the draw.
Nothing to separate the 🐐’s!#TheNextMove #TechMGCL #GGvSG@GangesGMs | @AlpineSGPipers | @MagnusCarlsen | @vishy64theking pic.twitter.com/c23ORg3zev
— Tech Mahindra World Chess League (@GCLlive) October 3, 2024
“I don’t suppose it’s related how a lot two gamers have performed up to now since you preserve transferring as a participant and his model and openings have modified much more in the previous few years. So have mine. Now we have performed so many video games collectively that I don’t sit again and mirror loads on these.”
Over the previous few years, video games between the duo have seen Carlsen taking 17 ½ factors from 18 video games in a lopsided head-to-head document.
The sport noticed a Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Assault after Carlsen, enjoying with black items, opted for the Sicilian Defence, one of the crucial aggressive responses to the King’s Pawn opening, which has been Anand’s insignia as a participant for many years now.
Anand, in flip, tried to push the Norwegian, who had defeated him in two World Championship battles – the final of which got here a decade again.
The 2 legends shared honours however Carlsen’s staff gained the competition 11-6, with Richard Rapport taking down Parham Maghsoodloo whereas former world champion Hou Yifan defeated Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Anand versus Carlsen has develop into a uncommon incidence at chess occasions in recent times because the Indian has decreased his enjoying engagements. They final performed one another on the Casablanca Chess match the place Carlsen gained in simply 10 strikes in an occasion performed in a novel format referred to as the Casablanca chess variant. The gamers have been enjoying the historic recreation between Wilhelm Steinitz and Mikhail Chigorin from the 1889 World Chess Championship battle in Havana.
“He’s nonetheless one of the best participant on the earth, by far. Now he solely performs in quicker codecs, with one or two exceptions. For me, it was an occasion I actually stay up for, as a result of I don’t play too many occasions. And I actually like this one. It’s one recreation a day, however it’s a must to play quick. It’s received this buzz,” mentioned Anand.
Carlsen and Anand had additionally confronted off within the first version of the World Chess League in Dubai final 12 months as icon gamers for his or her groups.
Earlier, the American Gambits staff defeated upGrad Mumba Masters by an 11-6 margin.
Mates flip foes
The opposite spotlight of the Ganges Grandmasters versus Alpine SG Pipers recreation was the conflict between associates Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa, who’ve struck up a detailed friendship over the previous few years.
They needed to put aside that bond for a number of hours as they confronted off on the board the place they performed out a bloody draw that spanned 74 strikes and ended with simply two toothless kings left.
🤜🤛
As quickly because the match started, friendship left the room 😅#TechMGCL #TheNextMove #GGvSG | @tech_mahindra | @MahindraRise | @AlpineSGPipers | @GangesGMs | @ArjunErigaisi | @rpraggnachess pic.twitter.com/vQzYxkudMA
— Tech Mahindra World Chess League (@GCLlive) October 3, 2024
The no-increment rule nearly performed a task within the recreation between Pragg and Arjun as the previous was down to only two minutes on the clock by the forty first transfer. At that stage, though the place on the board appeared prefer it was headed for a draw, the drama was on the clock. Even Carlsen and Anand, who had simply agreed to a draw at that stage, stood round gawking on the drama unfolding within the Pragg-Arjun recreation. Ultimately although, Pragg battled on for 32 extra strikes, enjoying them in slightly below two minutes to pressure a draw.
The 2 gamers left the enjoying corridor collectively chatting away merrily after their conflict.