Global Chess League: Competing after almost eight months, Viswanathan Anand defeats Duda to seal win for Ganges Grandmasters

Five-time males’s world champion Viswanathan Anand and four-time girls’s world champion Hou Yifan led the Ganges Grandmasters to a 10-4 victory over the Chingari Gulf Titans on the primary day of the primary version of the Global Chess League.

What made the win particular for the Indian was the truth that it was his first aggressive recreation in almost eight months.

“It was a nice game and there were bits of it which I was very proud of. But I did notice one or two inexact moves slip in, especially after I made them. You make them and then realise and think ‘I wish I had seen the other move earlier,’” the 35-year-old Anand advised Tania Sachdev after the sport.

Asked if beating a younger participant like 25-year-old Duda was additional particular within the time format, the five-time world champion stated: “Of course, you have to say this year Duda has been playing incredibly well. I was very happy to start off on the right foot. I’ll take any win, but winning against Duda was extra nice.”

Five-time males’s world champion Viswanathan Anand and four-time girls’s world champion Hou Yifan led the Ganges Grandmasters to a 10-4 victory over the Chingari Gulf Titans. (Credit: Global Chess League)

Yifan, in the meantime, took down Alexandra Kosteniuk in a battle of former girls’s world champions. There is a contact of historical past between the 2 gamers. It was the Russian Kosteniuk who had overwhelmed Yifan when the Chinese participant first competed in a girls’s world championship closing. Yifan was 14 years outdated at that time. She went on to bounce again from that defeat with 4 world titles, marking her as one of many best gamers the game has seen.

On Thursday, the Ganges Grandmasters had gained the toss and chosen to play all their boards with white. It’s a novelty launched within the league: a win for a participant taking part in with white earns you three factors, whereas a win with black earns you 4. A draw is price a degree for every participant.

The scoring system is more likely to have an effect on video games as witnessed within the first recreation of the night time the place the upGrad Mumba Masters pipped the Triveni Continental Kings by a one-point margin. The Kings, taking part in white, had been main because of a win by China’s Wei Yi over Vidit Gujrathi, which accounted for 3 factors. But Alexander Grischuk upset the Kings’ applecart with a win over Yangyi Yu, which was price 4 factors.

Anand, although, stated he didn’t consider that the choice to choose white or black was a recreation changer, no less than for now.

“You have to pick a colour, and Pravin Thipsay (Ganges Grandmasters team manager) chose white. But it’s 50-50. I don’t think it’s such a big decision yet. Yes, the four points that black gets for winning is quite intriguing, because we saw it decided the first game. Although I have to say that they (upGrad Mumba Masters) needed several Hands of God (slices of luck) to win. They had more Hands of God than Diego (Maradona) himself. They were so busted!” chuckled Anand.

The Ganges Grandmasters will return on Friday for a recreation in opposition to the SG Alpine Warriors, which can see Anand tackle recently-dethroned world champion Magnus Carlsen.

“It’s the big match. An old friend,” smiled Anand.

Saturday and Sunday will see 4 matches every. Before Carlsen meets Anand, he can be slotted to tackle one other ‘old friend’ within the type of Ian Nepomniachtchi — the person who he beat to seal his final world championship title — because the SG Alpine Warriors face off in opposition to the Balan Alaskan Knights.

“Chess and cricket have a lot of similarities. In cricket, you have to be strategic and proactive, just like you have to be in Chess.”

Steve Waugh offers his insights on the similarities between Chess♟️and Cricket 🏏#GCL #GlobalChessLeague #TheBigMove #GCLonJioCinema pic.twitter.com/ov5kj6FaKn

— Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (@GCLlive) June 22, 2023

When Waugh was left intimidated by cameras

Even because the Australian cricket workforce are battling in opposition to England within the Ashes, legendary ex-captain Steve Waugh is in Dubai as a visitor of the GCL organisers.

He watched the primary set of video games on Thursday and admitted he was only a informal chess participant, who used to play a bit in class earlier than different sports activities like cricket and soccer caught his fancy.

“I’m more of an outdoor-sports type of person,” he admitted.

What did catch his eye was the manufacturing set-up in place for the league.

“When I walked into the playing arena, I was nervous. There were 27 cameras there. It’ll be a different perspective for the players to confront and take on,” Waugh advised the organisers in a stream.