Norway Chess: Anand beats Tari in final round; settles for third place
Stavanger (Norway) (PTI): Former world champion Viswanathan Anand scored a win over Aryan Tari in the ninth and final round to finish third in the Norway Chess tournament which was won by world number one Magnus Carlsen.
The 52-year-old Indian chess legend won the Armageddon encounter against Tari after the classical match finished in a 22-move draw.
Anand was made to work hard by Tari in the sudden death tie-break as he needed 87 moves to secure the victory early on Saturday.
He finished with 14.5 points to sign off at the third place behind Carlsen (16.5 points) and Azerbaijan's Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (15.5).
The Indian GM started superbly, scoring victories in his first three matches (against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Veselin Topalov and Wang Hao) and then pulled off an impressive win over Carlsen.
He led the points table after the fifth round but appeared to lose steam in the second half of the tournament. A defeat at the hands of Mamedyarov in the Classical in round eight hurt his chances to a large extent.
Anand scored over long-time rival Carlsen in the Blitz event before prevailing over him again in the Classical tournament.
Carlsen was able to finish on top despite not being at his best and suffering defeats to So, compatriot Tari and Anand.
After all classical games on the final day ended in draws, there were wins for Vachier-Lagrave over Anish Giri (the Netherlands) and Anand.
Carlsen had to settle for a draw in the Armageddon against Topalov, while Mamedyarov was held by Radjabov and Wang Hao shared the honours with So.
Final standings: 1. Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 16.5 points, 2. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) 15.5, 3. Viswanathan Anand (India) 14.5, 4. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (14), 5. Wesley So (USA) 12.5, 6. Anish Giri (12), 7. Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and Aryan Tari (Norway) 9.5, 9. Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 8, 10. Wang Hao (China) 7.5.
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Rahul Gandhi expresses displeasure with Siddaramaiah over honey trap controversy: Report
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has reportedly expressed his unhappiness with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his handling of the alleged honey trap controversy.
According to a report in Deccan Herald, when Siddaramaiah met Rahul in New Delhi this week, the Congress leader conveyed his displeasure over the matter being raised in the Assembly. Gandhi is said to have told the Chief Minister that the issue should not have been brought up on the Assembly floor, as discussions in the House are on record and can cause embarrassment to the party.
Sources cited by DH reveal that Rahul Gandhi advised Siddaramaiah to have handled the situation more diplomatically to avoid making it a subject of public discourse. However, the CM reportedly defended his actions, clarifying that Co-operation Minister K.N. Rajanna had not raised the matter in the Assembly on his own. Siddaramaiah explained that when two BJP members brought up the issue and mentioned Rajanna's name, the minister was simply providing a clarification, and it was not an intentional move to drag the issue into the legislative proceedings.
The controversy had also reached Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge, who, during a meeting with Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru, conveyed that party leaders in Delhi were not pleased with the issue being debated in the floor of the House. Despite these developments, Siddaramaiah refused to comment on his discussions with Rahul Gandhi.
