![\"\u2018It\u2019s](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133953762,imgsize-158799,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/viswanathan-anand-loses-on-time-to-javokhir-sindarov-gcl-photo.jpg\" "\\"Viswanathan")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBENGALURU: Viswanathan Anand<\/a>\u2019s difficult start to the 2026 Global Chess League took another turn for the worse on Tuesday as the five-time world champion suffered two defeats in a day, the second coming in painful fashion against 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov.Playing for Alaskan Knights, Anand had already endured a tough Monday, losing on time to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen<\/a> before holding Triveni Continental Kings\u2019 Alireza Firouzja to a draw. Tuesday brought little relief. Anand first resigned against Ian Nepomniachtchi earlier in the day and then, in the evening, ran out of time against Sindarov despite having chances to win.The defeat was particularly frustrating because Anand, playing White, had held the advantage at one stage. With the clock becoming an increasingly important factor in this rapid format, however, the veteran struggled to keep control of the position.To make matters worse, Sindarov had offered a draw. Anand declined, believing he could still press for a win.\u201cIt\u2019s just a comedy of errors. He offered a draw when he played 43…Re4+. But it seemed to me that his pieces had no coordination, so I tried to play for win,\u201d Anand, visibly devastated after the loss on time, told reporters.\u201cAnd then, it\u2019s madness. I think even at the very end, I must have had a draw, but I went with 70.Kxd4+. I already blundered allowing 73.Rf8…Rc4+, and I can\u2019t take on B4,\u201d he explained.Asked what was going wrong for him, Anand could offer little explanation. \u201cI don\u2019t know. If I knew, I would do something,\u201d he remarked.Sindarov, who is preparing to challenge for the world championship later this year, was hardly delighted with his own performance despite securing the crucial win.\u201cYeah, general happy with the performance but not happy with the game. But, I mean, in the opening, I played very well, but then, like, I made big mistake. I start thinking for five minutes to find the best moves, but in this time control, it\u2019s always hard to find all the best moves,\u201d he said.Sindarov confirmed that he had offered Anand a draw and admitted he was relieved when the Indian legend declined.\u201cI saw the screen. I was just hoping, like, my draw will be, I mean, not so bad. But then I saw they\u2019re just losing, and I was very happy when he didn\u2019t accept my draw. And I was thinking, \u2018Okay, I need to go all in, like, I will win or lose.\u2019\u201dWith both players reduced to mere seconds, Sindarov felt Anand\u2019s dwindling clock gave him a psychological edge.\u201cI started to understand he felt a little bit nervous when his time was going to less than one minute, and then, somehow, I took this psychological advantage, and I started trying to push, and he missed my last trick,\u201d he said.Despite beating Anand twice in two games, Sindarov played down any suggestion that he has a particular edge over the legend. “No. I mean, I\u2019m just so lucky to win both games,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s very good to play against Anand always, getting, you know, practice against a world champion.\u201dAnd when asked how highly he rated Anand at 56, Sindarov was full of praise: \u201cHe\u2019s world-class,” He said. “There are only a few players who can play at this level so close to 60 years old. So, that\u2019s why he was one of the best.\u201dWhat happened on Day 4 in Bengaluru (USE H2 Headline)The day started with Ganges Grandmasters beating Alaskan Knights 12-8. American Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra\u2019s game against Leon Luke Mendonca ended in controversy after an illegal move and confusion<\/a> over the clock cost Mishra a likely win.Mumba Masters defeated American Gambits 11-6 in the second match of the day. Triveni Continental Kings beat Pipers 10-4. The much-anticipated clash between Magnus Carlsen and Alireza Firouzja ended in a draw, but the Continental Kings picked up wins on other boards.<\/p>\n Before the fourth edition began, Carlsen had joked that he wanted to \u201cflag the s*** out of Alireza Firouzja\u201d. He did not get his wish, but their game drew plenty of attention, with the arena filling up as the evening progressed.In the final match of the day, Anand’s Alaskan Knights then went down to American Gambits 9-12.<\/p>\n![\"Alireza](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-126907,msid-133953791\/alireza-firouzja-vs-magnus-carlsen-gcl-photo.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGlobal Chess League Season 4 standings<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n