Vishy Anand takes charge on day one of Tata Steel Chess India rapid event
Viswanathan Anand emerged as the joint-leader after day one of Rapid event in Tata Steel Chess India.
Viswanathan Anand emerged as the joint-leader after day one of Rapid event in Tata Steel Chess India.
Viswanathan Anand emerged as the joint-leader after day one of Rapid event in Tata Steel Chess India.
Viswanathan Anand rolled back the years to emerge as the joint-leader after day one of the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz in Kolkata on Wednesday.
After three rounds, Anand shares the lead with American Hans Moke Niemann on 2.5 points. The two were the only unbeaten players on the first day of the Rapid event featuring 10 GMs.
Five-time classical world champion Anand defeated Wesley So and compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram, while drawing with Wei Yi of China.
The Tiger of Madras had pounced on a mistake from So in the endgame to win their round 1 game. He did something similar against Chithambaram to make it two wins on the day.
R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi are the other leading Indian stars in the contest. World classical champion D Gukesh is not participating this time.
Keralite Nihal Sarin joined as a replacement for Gukesh. Nihal, who won the event in 2022, had a decent day one that featured a draw (Yi), a win (Chithambaram) and a loss (Erigaisi). He has 1.5 points, the same as Praggnanandhaa.
The nine-round Rapid event will run for three days, and the Blitz will follow. In round 4 on Thursday, Anand will play white against Erigaisi, while Nihal faces Niemann.