P. Harikrishna suffered his first loss in the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament after running into an in-form Alireza Firouzja (5.5 points) who emerged as the sole leader after eight rounds in Wijk aan Zee, in the Netherlands, on Sunday.
On a day when 16-year-old Russian Andrey Esipenko crushed Magnus Carlsen with a flawless display, all other games were drawn.
Playing black, Harikrishna (4) paid the price for underestimating the danger posed by the position around the 33rd move.
Notwithstanding a pawn-deficit, Harikrishna did his best to defend. Firouzja made him suffer by finding accurate continuations and eventually won in 56 moves.
This was Firouzja’s third successive victory and fourth in all after starting his campaign with a defeat to Carlsen.
Carlsen, whose last defeat to a teenager in this coveted event came against 16-year-old Anish Giri in the 2011 edition, looked lost by the 16th move against Esipenko. The youngster stayed calm to convert his advantage in 38 moves.
Eighth-round results: P. Harikrishna (4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (5.5); Andrey Esipenko (Rus, 5) bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 4); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5) drew with Anish Giri (Ned, 5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5) drew with Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 5); Nils Grandelius (Swe, 4.5) drew with Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Pol, 3.5); Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Pol, 3) drew with David Anton Guijar (Esp, 3); Alexander Donchenko (Ger, 2.5) drew with Aryan Tari (Nor, 3).
You have reached your limit for free articles this month.
Subscription Benefits Include
Today's Paper
Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.
Unlimited Access
Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.
Personalised recommendations
A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.
Faster pages
Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.
Dashboard
A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.
Briefing
We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.
Support Quality Journalism.
*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper, crossword and print.
A letter from the Editor
Dear subscriber,
Thank you!
Your support for our journalism is invaluable. It’s a support for truth and fairness in journalism. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings.
The Hindu has always stood for journalism that is in the public interest. At this difficult time, it becomes even more important that we have access to information that has a bearing on our health and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler.
We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda.
Suresh Nambath
Please Email the Editor