"VAN" (Sports Desk - 28.08.2023) :: In a second day of total domination, WR Chess won all four matches and are the only team with a perfect 100 per cent score
With a total of 16 matchpoints, WR Chess maintains a three-matchpoint lead over the second-placed Freedom team. Following closely are three teams tied at 11 matchpoints: MGD1, Ashdod Elit Chess Club, and Six-pack. The current standings suggest that WR Chess, holding a three-matchpoint lead over Freedom and a five-matchpoint lead over the third-placed teams, could potentially secure victory before all rounds are completed.
Today’s direct duel between the frontrunners WR Chess and Freedom ended with a crushing 5:1 victory for the squad captained by GM Jan Gustafsson. WR Chess also defeated third-placed Team MGD1 – by 3.5:2.5 in round six. Given that Freedom and MGD1 were closest to catching up with WR Chess, the outcome of their direct duels will certainly have an impact on the final standings, even if WR slip on day three.
The key performers in the WR Chess team are Ian Nepomniachtchi and Jan-Krzysztof Duda who are on 5.5 out of six games they have played. Additionally, WR Group's CEO Wadim Rosenstein, who also sponsors the event, contributed significantly to the team's success, winning five out of eight games as an amateur board.
After a crushing loss in round five, team Freedom rebounded, winning the remaining three matches of the day and solidifying their hold on the second place. Daniil Dubov is the top performer in the team, with 5.5 out of eight.
Team MGD1 experienced mixed results, finishing the day in shared third place after losing two out of four matches. With other teams closely trailing, MGD1 will need to maintain their momentum to secure a top-three finish.
Rounds five to eight: A closer look
The frontrunners from day one – WG Chess and Freedom met in round five, at the start of the second day of the championship. In a tense match, the tournament leaders WG Chess dominated the top-rated tournament team captained by Emil Sutovsky. Apart from Anand and Dubov who drew their games, all other Freedom boards lost. This was a significant milestone for WG Chess having scored a confident victory over their top competitor in the event.
The Indian team of MGD1 – who started the day in second place – had a narrow victory over ASV AlphaEchecs Linz (3,5:2,5), with Nihal Sarin losing to Alexander Grishuk after ending a piece down. In another slim victory, team Armenia won against Columbus Energy Kings Of Chess from Kraków with 3,5:2,5. While there were no major surprises, among the top players, Fabiano Caruana found himself in serious trouble against Egypt’s Ahmed Adly but managed to win.
In Round 6, Team Freedom bounced back, scoring a convincing victory over the team of the Berlin Chess Federation, with 5.5:0.5. In that match, Freedom’s Polina Shuvalova won in great style against the top German women's player Elisabeth Paehtz, sacrificing the same knight twice. WR Chess continued their winning streak, but this time only with a minimum margin – 3.5:2.5 – beating the very strong majority-Indian squad of Team MGD1, thus eliminating another contender for the top place. The Chess Pensioners suffered a humiliating defeat in the round, losing 5:1 to Kompetenzakademie Allstars. Apart from Dominguez holding compatriot Caruana to a draw, Pensioners’ Peter Svidelr lost to Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik was beaten by Gukesh D. In a huge upset of the round, Egyptian GM Ahmed Adly (rated 2557) lost to more than 200 points lower-rated German FM Bennet Hagner, after misplaying in the middlegame. Following Round 6, the team of Germany and Friends sprung to second place, after winning two rounds – against Ashdod Elit Chess Club (in round five) and the very strong team of Armenia (in round six).
In Round 7, Freedom defeated ASV AlphaEchecs Linz while Team MGD1 outplayed the squad of Armenia. Both Freedom and MGD1 had an equal number of points and were sharing second and third place. WR Chess continued its impressive run, beating Germany and Friends by 4:2, and maintaining their 100% score in match victories. Despite the loss, Germany and Friends were fourth in the rankings. In this round, 2641-rated GM Pavel Eljanov lost to 200 points lower-rated Alexander Krastev.
In the final round of the day, WR Chess secured another convincing victory, defeated Kompetenzakademie Allstars (featuring superstars such as Caruana, Aronian and Gukesh) by 5.5:0.5 and finishing the second day in a row winning all of their matches. Freedom was better than Germany and Friends (4.5:1.5), managing to clinch second place and pushing the German team out of the top three. Team MGD1 slipped in the final round of the day against Ashdod Elit Chess Club. With all first five boards drawing their games, the balance shifted on the amateur board where Peter Anand (rated 1901) lost to 1600-player Daniel Blonder. The defeat relegated MGD1 from second to third place.
Inputs & Pic Cr - FIDE
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