It was a fascinating evening of contests. The world’s best of chess took on each other in the Global Chess League (GCL). After the first round, there were three winners and three more looking to script a turnaround. It did go according to scripts, but not always.
PBG Alaskan Knights, Alpine SG Pipers and American Gambits were in the lead. Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters and Triveni Continental Knights were in the chasing pack, after action on Day One.
All eyes were on the clash between Magnus Carlsen representing Alpine SG Pipers and Viswanathan Anand playing for Ganges Grandmasters. This one ended in a draw. That was understandable, considering that the two are quite close to each other. Numbers may say otherwise, but these two are fierce enemies, unwilling to divulge details. In the end, Anand and Carlsen played out a stalemate. The Grandmasters showed tremendous tenacity to stay undefeated till the end. In certain ways, they set alight the norm for the day.
The match between Mumba Masters and American Gambits was an absolute cracker. American Gambits, the team co-owned by cricket star R Ashwin, won 11-6 in the end. The wins posted by Vidit Gujarathi, Koneru Humpy and Raunak Sadhwani proved vital in the end count for Mumba. D Harika’s win with black against Elisabeth Paetz was a turning point to the contrary in this tie.
Nihal Sarin got the better of Javokhir Sindarov. He was representing PBG Alaskan Knights against Triveni Continental Knights. This was a crucial win. It kept the Alaskan Knights in contention. Before that, the Indian youngster had drawn with the likes of Nodirbek and Mamedyarov. Those were top names and Sarin can brace himself for something new. It has been a good Indian opening at GCL 2. More, of course, is likely to follow.