Viswanathan Anand loses to Ivanchuk, ends disastrous Legends campaign after 8 defeats
Chennai: Indian chess ace Viswanathan Anand's signed off second from bottom after his disappointing campaign at the Legends of Chess online tournament ended with a loss to long-time rival Vasyl Ivanchuk in the ninth and final round.
It was Anand's eighth loss in the USD 150,000 tournament. The 50-year-old ended in ninth position behind GM Peter Leko who finished last.
After all the four games ended in draws, the Anand-Ivanchuk contest went into the Armageddon (a tie-breaker), which also ended in a stalemate.
The Ukrainian emerged victorious as he played black in the decider late on Wednesday.
Anand started the match with a 57-move draw and the tie progressed in a similar vein with the players opting for quiet draws.
The Armageddon game was a 59-move affair before the former world champion signed peace with Ivanchuk.
The 50-year old Indian finished ninth in the standings with 7 match points and a solitary win (over Boris Gelfand) on his debut in the Magnus Carlsen Tour.
In other matches, world No.1 Magnus Carlsen beat Vladimir Kramnik 3-1 to finish with an all-win record after nine matches in the preliminary stage.
The Norwegian will now play Russia's Peter Svidler in the semi-finals, while Anish Giri (Hungary) takes on Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) in a repeat of their Chessable Masters semi-final.
Legends of Chess is an event in which Carlsen, Liren, Nepomniachtchi and 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 tournament is part of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. The winner of this event qualifies for the USD 300,000 Grand Final scheduled from August 9 to 20.
Results of Round 9:
Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine) beat Viswanathan Anand (India) 2.5-2.5 (Ivanchuk wins by playing black after Armageddon is drawn); Magnus Carlsen (Norway) beat Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) 3-1; Boris Gelfand (Israel) beat Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 3-2; Anish Giri (The Netherlands) beat Peter Svidler (Russia) 2.5-1.5; Ding Liren (China) beat Peter Leko (Hungary) 2.5-1.5.
Final standings: 1. Carlsen 25 match points, 2. Nepomniachtchi 20, 3. Giri 18, 4. Svidler 14, 5. Ivanchuk 13, 6. Kramnik 12, 7. Gelfand 11, 8. Liren 7, 9. Anand 7, 10. Leko 6.
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Airlines to operate 48 flights per hour, says UAE Min.; Here’s what you need to know ?
Abu Dhabi: UAE’s Minister for Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri has announced that the UAE has opened safe air corridors in coordination with gulf countries, Gulf News reported.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri also stated that at present the handling capacity is 48 flights per hour.
“The capacity as of today, based on the emergency routes available, is 48 flights per hour with a possibility of increasing this figure at a later stage, according to the latest development and security ratings and measures,” the UAE based English daily quoted the Minister as saying.
The Minister furthermore stated that from March 1 to March 3, a total of 17,498 passengers travelled on 60 flights. In the next phase, 80 flights are scheduled with national carriers, totalling 27,000 passengers. He said the following phases would be launched based on how the security situation evolves and when conditions are deemed safe.
However, regular commercial operations of Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Air Arabia are yet to resume. flydubai has begun limited operations.
Speaking on the reopening of airspace, the Minister clarified that the General Civil Aviation Authority is conducting ongoing coordination and monitoring with partners to assess developments and enable a gradual and safe return of air navigation in the country’s airspace.
As part of the response, limited operational flights have begun to facilitate the return of citizens and residents.
He said, “Airspace safety and human safety will always remain our first priority.”
The Minister urged affected passengers not to proceed to airports unless contacted directly by their airlines, in order to avoid congestion and ensure the smooth flow of travellers during this phase.
UAE airports and national carriers, including Etihad, Emirates, flydubai, and Air Arabia, have instructed passengers not to travel to the airport unless they have received a call from the airline asking them to do so.
According to the newspaper, all airlines have resumed limited operations, with priority being given to stranded passengers. In the meantime, the Minister said the government has agreed to cover expenses for stranded tourists' stay and food.
He said, “the UAE economy has proven its resilience in absorbing pressures generated by geopolitical and regional challenges,” and reaffirmed that economic stability remains firmly intact.
On the safe air corridors, the Minister said they were established in coordination with neighbouring countries and Gulf Cooperation Council states, as well as with the International Civil Aviation Organization, activating approved regional emergency aviation plans.
He explained that the current emergency routing capacity allows for 48 flights per hour, with the possibility of gradually increasing that number in line with developments and safety assessments.
The Minister also said that the UAE economy has demonstrated strong resilience and maintained stability with high efficiency despite geopolitical and regional pressures.
He said the country adopted proactive and flexible strategies that strengthened the economy and enhanced its ability to absorb external shocks, including previous crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and other regional and international challenges.
