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FIDE Online World Corporate Championship: Nihal Sarin holds Anish Giri to a draw

by Shahid Ahmed - 20/02/2021

FIDE Online World Corporate Championship had an exciting start as Akshayakalpa Farms and Foods was paired against Optiver in the very first round. It means Nihal Sarin was up against Anish Giri, something which is yet to happen in an over-the-board tournament yet. Nihal got a good chance but he mistimed it and Giri saved the game and it ended up in a draw. Among Indian teams, Praggnanandhaa's team Tata Consultancy Services Chennai is the only Indian team which has a very good chance of advancing to the Knockout stage as they won all three matches on the first day of Stage 1.

Akshayakalpa vs Optiver in Round 1

The first edition of FIDE Online World Corporate Championship started on Friday 19th February. As fate would have it, Optiver and Akshayakalpa Farms and Foods landed in the same group East C of the Eastern Pool. Not only that, they were also paired in the first round, thus Nihal Sarin was up against Dutch no.1 Anish Giri in Round 1 of the first stage.

Nihal-Anish in the first round is bound to be an exciting bout

Nihal played a solid game and at one point he got an interesting chance which he did not take. Since this was a team championship and Nihal's team was facing a stronger opposition, he couldn't afford to take some chances which he would usually prefer. As only the champion of each group will advance to the knockout stage.

Nihal - Giri, Round 1

Position after 22...Nd7

The obvious attempt which white should make is 23.h5 which I am sure Nihal must have considered but did not play it immediately perhaps because the reasons stated above. After 23.Nd4 Rc5 Nihal went with 24.h5 but things have changed a bit and now the h5 move lacks a punch. The game eventually ended up in a draw in another 13 moves.

Nihal vs Anish | Akshayakalpa vs Optiver | World Corporate Championships 2021 | Video: Sagar Shah

Optiver making a draw with Rosseti Volga reduced their chances. Currently Morgan Stanley (HUN) and Gazprom are at 100% score of 6.0/6. Ernst & Young is the highest placed Indian team in East C group with 8.5/12.

East C Standings after Round 3

Rk.SNo TeamGames  +   =   -  TB1  TB2  TB3 
11
Morgan Stanley (HUN)330010,560
24
Gazprom33009,560
32
Rosseti Volga32108,551
6
Optiver32108,551
513
Ernst & Young32018,540
626
Architalia Design33008,060
78
Tensor32108,050
9
Tata Consultancy Services Europe32108,050
10
Moscow School of Management Skolkovo32108,050
1012
Cognizant Tamil Nadu32018,040

Details

TCS Chennai makes a great start

Praggnanandhaa's team made a brilliant start as the team performed well and won all three of their matches. They are now in the shared lead with CSOB at 10.0/12

Praggnanandhaa's team TCS Chennai is well on their way to the Knockout stage

Praggnanandhaa scored a comfortable victory against IM Ioannis Georgiadis of Credit Suisse when TCS Chennai beat them in a close battle of 2.5-1.5

East E Standings after Round 3

Rk.SNo TeamGames  +   =   -  TB1  TB2  TB3 
12
CSOB330011,060
27
Tata Consultancy Services Chennai330010,060
33
ERG32109,550
45
Gordic32109,050
51
BCG Gamma32019,040
6
Credit Suisse32019,040
78
Kaspersky32108,550
11
Kaissa Consulting32108,550
16
Equinor32108,550
1019
Sourcico32107,550

Details

FIDE World Corporate Championships 2021 | Day 1 Eastern Pool Live commentary | Video: ChessBase India

Vaishali scores three wins for Autodesk

Vaishali started with three wins but her team Autodesk moved the scoreboard in each of the win, draw and loss column, thus the practical chances of advancing to the next stage looks slim.

Vaishali performed as the spearhead for her team, scoring three comfortable victories | Photo: Amruta Mokal

West B standings after Round 3

Rk.SNo TeamGames  +   =   -  TB1  TB2  TB3 
12
American Express330011,060
21
PT Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok330010,060
35
Amazon US-West32019,040
48
Airbnb California32108,551
16
IQVIA32108,551
64
Deloitte New York32018,540
712
ASINTEL32108,050
86
Allens32017,540
911
Autodesk31117,030
103
Sun Distribution31116,530

Details

Santosh Hassan of Oracle got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against the world champion Magnus Carlsen

He had no idea that the world champion was taking part in the event. When FIDE asked for his photo 10-minutes before the game, only then he learnt about the fact. After the game he said to FIDE, "I am very happy though I lost". Oracle Bangalore gave a shoutout for the Senior Assistant Financial Controller who faced the world no.1

 

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