Round 3
The third and final round of the day produced the most decisive games, as two of the leaders stumbled. Anand lost to Nepomniachti in a disastrous 22 moves. Giri fell to Hikaru Nakamura (USA) after being unable to hold a difficult endgame. Meanwhile, Carlsen continue his winning momentum as he defeated Levon Aronian in a fascinating game. After getting a risky position with the black pieces in a Najdorf Sicilian, Carlsen managed neutralize play in the middlegame. Once given the opportunity to attack, Carlsen did not hold back and sacrificed his bishop on move 34 for monster initiative. He then proceeded to convert an endgame where his three pawns overpowered Aronian’s bishop. This victory for Carlsen catapulted him to clear first on the leaderboard with 5 total points after the first day. Nakamura trails in clear second place with 4 points.
Games will resume tomorrow at 3pm Kolkata time (GMT +5:30) with round 4 of rapid chess. Be sure to catch all the action with GM’s Peter Svidler, Maurice Ashley, WGM Jennifer Shahade, and IM Tania Sachdev on GrandChessTour.org
|