White wins all Armageddon
Three Classical games ended in a draw, which means three Armageddon took place. In all of them, the players with the white pieces won their must-win games. White was victorious in all five decisive results in the first round.
Anand - Vachier-Lagrave: 3-0
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 2760) went for the thematic b5-break againsts Vishy Anand (2751) at a wrong time.
17...b5 does no good for Black. 18.cxb5 Nxd4 19.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 20.Rxd4 axb5 21.Qd2 now Black loses either b5 or d6-pawn and there is not enough compensation. The same thing could have been played without 17...b5. After the exchange at d4, Nb8-c6 would have been relatively better continuation for Black. Anand's precise play earned him three points and Armageddon was not required.
So - Radjabov: 3-0
World no.6 Wesley So (USA, 2775) is the only other player who won his Classical game in the first round. He got a pleasant position in the middlegame against World no.3 Teimour Radjabov (AZE, 2753).
Black's position is certainly difficult to play. He tried sacrificing the b6-pawn and then went for f5-break after a few moves. The position just imploded for Black and So won comfortably.
Replay Round 1 games
Standings after Round 1
Round 2 pairings
Schedule
Blitz Round 1 starts on 30th May 2022. Round 1 starts at 6 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. IST).
Classical games will be played from 31st May to 10th June 2022. Everyday game starts at 5 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. IST). 4th and 8th June are the rest days.
