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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Iran urges UN to condemn Trump’s ‘unlawful threats’ amid nationwide protests
United Nations/Tehran: Iran has formally appealed to the United Nations to condemn what it described as “reckless and unlawful threats” made by United States President Donald Trump, as protests over rising prices and economic distress continue across the country.
According to an Al Jazeera report, a letter was sent on Friday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council by Iran’s ambassador to the UN Amir Saeed Iravani, accusing Washington of violating the UN Charter and international law. He called on the UN leadership and Security Council members to “unequivocally and firmly condemn” remarks by Trump that Tehran views as provocative and dangerous.
The letter was dispatched hours after Trump said the United States was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if further protesters were killed during the unrest in Iran. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the US would “come to their rescue.”
Iravani said any attempt to incite or legitimise internal unrest as a justification for external pressure or military intervention constituted a serious breach of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Holding the United States fully responsible for any consequences arising from what he termed illegal threats, he added that Iran would exercise its right to defend itself “in a decisive and proportionate manner."
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that demonstrations continued on Friday in several parts of Qom, Mashhad, Hamedan, Marvdasht, Yasuj and Tehran. The protests began after shopkeepers in the capital went on strike earlier this week over soaring prices and economic stagnation.
Authorities said at least nine people have been killed and 44 arrested since the unrest began. The deputy governor of Qom province said one person died after a grenade exploded in his hand, describing it as an attempt to inflame tensions.
Responding to Trump’s comments, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that US interference would lead to regional instability and damage American interests.
