Viswanathan Anand Suffers 6th Straight Defeat In Legends Of Chess Tournament
Chennai: Former world champion Viswanathan Anand's struggles continued in the USD 150,000 Legends of Chess online tournament as he suffered his sixth consecutive defeat with a 2-3 loss to Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.
Anand started the sixth round match with a draw as he came up with good defensive moves to keep the Russian at bay in a 53-move draw.
However, Nepomniachtchi went ahead by pulling off a 34-move win in the second game. The third saw the players sign peace after 48 moves.
The five-time world champion then fought back well to claim the fourth game in 42 moves to push the contest into the Armageddon (a tie-breaker).
Nepomniachtchi won the decisive tie-break in 41 moves to shatter the hopes of the 50-year old Indian superstar and left him winless after six rounds.
World champion Magnus Carlen continued his winning run and tops the standings with 17 match points. Nepomniachtchi is second on 16 followed by compatriot Vladimir Karmnik (12).
Anand, who is making his debut on the Magnus Carlsen Tour, lies ninth with three points.
Legends of Chess is a unique event where Carlsen, Ding Liren, Nepomniachtchi and Anish Giri, semifinalists at the Chessable Masters (part of the Magnus Carlsen Tour), received an automatic invite and are up against six legends aged 40-52, who have been at the top of world chess at various points in their career.
The winner of this event will qualify for the USD 300,000 Grand Final, scheduled from August 9 to 20.
Results - Round 6: Ian Nepomniachtchi beat Viswanathan Anand 3-2; Magnus Carlsen beat Ding Liren 2.5-1.5: Anish Giri beat Peter Leko 2.5-1.5; Vladmir Kramnik beat Boris Gelfand 3-2; Peter Svidler beat Vasyl Ivanchuk 3-2.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
