Hands became furious blurs. Game clocks were slapped senseless. Even the woody pieces astir apt were near breathless from the changeless darting astir the chessboard. There were dramatic, lung-bursting races towards the decorativeness enactment by players. By the end, fates were decided by the caller — and uncommon — no-increment regularisation which has been adopted for the 2nd variation of the Global Chess League.
Irrespective of the format — classical, accelerated and blitz — chess games are usually played with the breathing abstraction of increments, meaning clip gets added connected the timepiece each clip a subordinate plays a move. But since each time astatine the GCL has aggregate matches happening — with Friday witnessing 4 matchups — the GCL organisers added a no-increment regularisation successful the 2nd edition, to debar chess matches stretching connected endlessly which could pb to unwieldy broadcast times.
Tension high, moves precise — this lucifer was a nail-biter till the precise past second♟🔥#TechMGCL #TheNextMove #UMMvGG | @tech_mahindra | @MahindraRise | @chesscom | @chesscom_in | @GangesGMs | @umumba | @FIDE_chess pic.twitter.com/rYEWjEODnO
— Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (@GCLlive) October 4, 2024
In the process, matches astatine the GCL person go much frantic and dramatic. Just look astatine the crippled betwixt Chess Olympiad golden medal-winning teammates Arjun Erigaisi, playing for Ganges Grandmasters, and Vidit Gujrathi, representing upGrad Mumba Masters, which ended successful a draw. Or five-time satellite champion Magnus Carlsen’s decision against Alireza Firouzja erstwhile Alpine SG Pipers faced Triveni Continental Kings connected the 2nd time of the GCL successful London’s Friend’s House.
Vidit Gujrathi represents uPGrad Mumba Masters successful the 2024 Global Chess League
Carlsen was near frustrated aft having a winning vantage connected the committee from the 26th determination itself against Firouzja. But by the 64th move, with little than 30 seconds near connected the timepiece for some players, Carlsen erred to fto his younger hostile disconnected the hook.
𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐊-𝐓𝐎𝐂𝐊, 𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐊-𝐓𝐎𝐂𝐊, 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐙𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃, 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 😲
Only classics successful Stake presents #TechMGCL Season ✌️#TheNextMove #TCKvSG | @FIDE_chess | @MagnusCarlsen | @tech_mahindra | @MahindraRise | @chesscom | @chesscom_in |… pic.twitter.com/3p7Mznxdnr
— Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (@GCLlive) October 4, 2024
Eventually the crippled was a sprint past the decorativeness enactment babelike connected who would person their timepiece tick down to zero. On Friday, that subordinate was Carlsen.
A fewer hours earlier, Erigaisi and Gujrathi had experienced this aforesaid feeling of all-or-nothing chess which ended successful a gully due to the fact that some players ran retired of pieces connected the committee to conflict on. After his nerve-jangling, punch-drunk gully against Erigaisi, Gujrathi’s honorable appraisal of the frantic last moments of their crippled was to accidental that “pieces could person been thrown” astir connected the committee to flight the vice-grip of time.
Their crippled had each the play of a heavyweight boxing lucifer with some players raining down haymakers capable to marque the other’s knees buckle. The momentum successful the crippled swung similar a leafage successful the wind, favouring 1 subordinate archetypal past the other.
A focused Vidit Gujrathi during his lucifer successful the ongoing 2024 Global Chess League. (FIDE | Michal Walusza)
“In the opening, Arjun amazed maine with a good, applicable prime for a accelerated game. Especially since determination were nary increments. So helium built up a seven- oregon eight-minute clip advantage. But I deliberation I reacted good implicit the committee and got a precise comfy position. It adjacent looked similar I was somewhat amended astatine 1 stage. But Arjun being Arjun made it messy! Then yet I realised I was precise debased connected clip truthful I person to someway speech pieces different it’s going to beryllium tough,” Gujrathi told The Indian Express aboriginal successful the day.
By 19 moves, Erigaisi had a six-minute headstart implicit the seasoned pro. Three moves later, Gujrathi’s clip had eroded to 2 minutes connected the clock. The 57th determination was erstwhile Gujrathi had his champion accidental to snatch victory, acknowledgment to a blunder by Erigaisi, who moved his king to the d2 quadrate alternatively than shifting it to f3. Erigaisi’s determination opened up the anticipation of Gujrathi utilizing his knight to cleanable up the inferior star’s pawn by a slick looking fork connected the king 2 moves later. But by that stage, Gujrathi had conscionable 17 seconds connected the timepiece portion Erigaisi had 33 seconds.
A pawn up, Gujrathi blundered backmost connected the 64th determination with a pawn propulsion connected the h record arsenic helium tried to promote. Four moves later, the crippled ended successful a draw.
“Arjun told maine aboriginal helium was trying to emblem (getting the different subordinate to suffer connected time), astatine immoderate point. Then helium missed 1 of my tactics. And that saved me. And past helium was connected the defensive. I could person won astatine immoderate stage, I had 45 seconds and a precise bully presumption connected the board. I allowed him a maneuver and past it was drawing. At immoderate constituent it was conscionable instinct, we were conscionable playing… it could person been worse. Pieces could person been thrown, which is what tin hap erstwhile you’re playing truthful accelerated successful a clip scramble! There was immoderate dignity maintained,” shrugged Gujrathi.
Day 2 results
Mumba Masters bushed Ganges Grandmasters 14-5
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave bt Viswanathan Anand
Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew with Arjun Erigaisi
Peter Svidler mislaid to Parham Maghsoodloo
Humpy Koneru bt Vaishali Rameshbabu
Harika Dronavalli drew with Nurgyul Salimova
Raunak Sadhwani bt Volodar Murzin
PBG Alaskan Knights bushed American Gambits 14-2
Hikaru Nakamura drew with Anish Giri
Jan-Krzysztof Duda drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Yu Yangyi mislaid to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Bibisara Assaubayeva mislaid to Tan Zhongyi
Elisabeth Paehtz mislaid to Alina Kashlinskaya
Jonas Buhl Bjerre mislaid to Nihal Sarin
Triveni Continental Kings bushed Alpine Sg Pipers 17-4
Alireza Firouzja bushed Magnus Carlsen
Wei Yi bushed Praggnanandhaa R
Teimour Radjabov mislaid to Richard Rapport
Alexandra Kosteniuk drew with Hou Yifan
Valentina Gunina bushed Kateryna Lagno
Javokhir Sindarov bushed Daniel Dardha
upGrad Mumba Masters mislaid to PBG Alaskan Knights 5-8
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drew with Anish Giri
Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Peter Svidler drew with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Humpy Koneru drew with Tan Zhongyi
Harika Dronavalli drew with Alina Kashlinskaya
Raunak Sadhwani mislaid to Nihal Sarin