WR Chess Masters Day 1: Five Indians advance to Quarterfinal

2nd Edition of WR Chess Masters officially started in London

Just a day after the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League finished, another major chess event already started in London. A total of 16 strong chess players of different ages have participated in this event. On the one hand, we have Viswanathan Anand making his much-anticipated return to over-the-board classical chess, while on the other, young talents like Bodhana Sivanandan and Shreyas Royal are set to take on seasoned veterans. Every day the players will play two classical matches with the same opponents. If there is a tie, then players will play an Armageddon match wherein White has 10 minutes and the player who bids the lowest time gets black with that time and draw odds.

Day 1 matches

Arjun vs Bodhana

Board no.1 faced the battle between Arjun Erigaisi and Bodhana Sivanandan. In the first game, Arjun played with white pieces against the English prodigy. The game started with natural moves but Black's 13. b5 created weakness for her on the queenside. Arjun played aggressive moves like 16. Ne4 and 17. Ng5 which created many threats for Black.

Black's 19. f5 was a blunder that made White attack on the center by 20. e4.

While White was winning in this position, 24. Qxh7 initiated the decisive kingside attack. Bodhana kept fighting till the last move and the game ended with a beautiful checkmate after 45. Rh7#.

Abdusattorov vs Kosteniuk

In the first game, Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a dynamic Caro-Kann Defense. Black's 7. h5 and 8. h4 created attacking chances despite some positional risks. Similarly, White tried to counter on the queenside by playing 18. c4 which actually backfired, because Black immediately played 18. f5 and 19. f4.

At this point, the game saw a tactical flurry in which the queens were exchanged and rooks initiated the attacks. Though White had a better position, the game started going in Black's favor after white played 31. f3.

White's 32. hxg3 proved decisive as it reached promotion to a queen and a beautiful checkmate sequence.

In the second game, Nodirbek Abdusattorov won against Alexandra Kosteniuk in a sharp encounter. White tried to attack with 20. Qxa6 after which Black offered queen exchange. Instead of exchange, White moved her queen to e2 which was a blunder, followed by 22. Nfd2. These moves created an imbalance in White's position which made Black push for a win. As Black's pieces were active with many open files, White had no prospects to defend the position, ultimately leading to a victory for Black.

Alireza vs Vaishali

Alireza Firouzja secured a win against Vaishali Rameshbabu in a French Defense. The critical phase unfolded when Alireza initiated the pressure with 19. Nb5 and 21. Nd6 gaining a dominant knight position.

Black's defensive attempts 21. Rdf8 and 27. Rf5 could not stop White's attacks as he kept on gaining control of the center. When all the major pieces got exchanged, White was left with vulnerable pawns, and Black's passed pawns became pivotal. With the active king, he kept on advancing pawns, especially the pawn on b-file was unstoppable. White resigned after a long fight after move 70. b5.

Shreyas vs Anand

After the first game ended in a draw, Anand emerged victorious in the second game. The game was balanced till the middle game when Anand played 26. Rxd6.

This move simply made the endgame favorable for Black as White's pawn structure was vulnerable. The pawn exchange on 35. gxf5 opened more lines for Black’s pieces. As Black's pawn kept advancing, White was unable to stop them. Soon, Black's king came into action to create pressure on the center along with the rook. White resigned as there was no way to prevent the a-pawn from queening.

Praggnanandhaa vs Victor

In the first game, Victor opted for the Nimzo-Indian Defense, and the early exchange on c3 led to a dynamic pawn structure. White gained space by playing 9. d5 by challenging Black's pawn structure and limiting the knight on a5. Later, White sacrificed a pawn with 18. d6 to attack Black's pieces and bring the queen into action.

Black made a blunder by playing 21. Rh6 as White played Qg7 threatening check and attacking the rook.

White continued attacking with 25. Bg4+ forcing Black to weaken the kingside further. The move 26. Qh7+ was decisive as Victor had no defense against the forthcoming threats.

Raunak vs Parham

Raunak Sadhwani won both the games against Parham Maghsoodloo. In the second game which started with the Nimzo-Indian Defense, Black played 4. h6 to avoid Bg5 chances but it later proved to create an imbalanced pawn structure for Black. The position became complicated in the middlegame with a lot of imbalances. White gained control over the open files, placing the rook on the strong square and exerting pressure. White aimed to attack Black's kingside by playing 31. h3 while his rooks were dominating the center.

After a couple of checks, Black's king was in a difficult position. 57. gxh5+ allowed White to win material and achieve a completely winning position.

Maxime vs Javokhir

After the two classical games ended in a draw, Maxime and Javokhir played an Armageddon. The game started with Sicilian Defence which offered Black some dynamic play. Both sides were well-developed till the middlegame. However, White tried to exert pressure after 14. Ncd5.

Black was ready for the fight with 14. Rc8. Both sides were showing counterplay which kept the pressure equal. After 24. exd5, White's pawn structure was weakened while Black had an open file.

However, Black could not capitalize on his advantage and the position turned neutral. Luckily, it was an Armageddon which made Black win the match.

Topalov vs Vidit

Vidit defeated Veselin in both the games after a long-strategic battle. The first game opened with a standard Ruy Lopez with both the players making accurate moves. Black focused on attacking White's queenside and disrupting the position but White defended well keeping the position flexible. After a long fight, White blundered with 39. Qd2 which made Black's path to play e4 clear.

Vidit's move 41. e4 opened the chances of 43. Qa1+ as White's king was totally exposed leading to resignation.

Check out all the games from Round of 16