Anish Giri Finishes the Game in 4 Moves

GM Anish Giri was the first player to finish his game in Round 8 of the Sharjah Masters, as he drew his game against GM Velimir Ivic in merely 4 moves!

Anish Giri is known for his pragmatic and risk-free playing style and decision-making. Going into the penultimate round, Giri was the sole leader of the tournament with 5.5 points out of 7. A draw with the black pieces for the Dutch ensured at least a joint lead going into the final round, which he managed. After playing 4. Bc5 in the Anti-Berlin, Anish offered a draw to Ivic, who, being the lower-rated player, obliged. The draw, however, gave Nodirbek Abdusattorov to catch up and join the lead. With the top 2 seeds leading the pack, Round 9 of the Sharjah Masters is set to be an epic finale!

Some fans on reddit reminisced the time when Giri tried to play a 4-move draw against Magnus Carlsen at the Tata Steel Chess Kolkata 2019;

“Anish failed then but finally fulfilled his dream today at Sharjah Masters,” said a reddit user.

Photo courtesy: Sharjah Chess Club