Online Chess: Anand rested as India lose to China

India continued their shoddy show losing 1.5.-2.5 to title contenders and top seed China in the ninth round of FIDE-Chess.com Online Nations Cup on Saturday. With former world champion Viswanathan Anand resting, the Indian team managed to hold their own against the favourites before Yu Yangyi subdued B Adhiban with black pieces to secure another victory in the tournament.

Vidit Gujrathi (Elo 2636), playing on the top board, held higher-ranked Wang Hao (Elo 2750) to a draw. GM P Harikrishna, playing with black pieces, forced a draw against Wei Yi and D Harika shared the honours against the formidable Hou Yifan. China, which has sealed its spot in Sunday's "Super Final" leads the points table with 17 match points and 24 board points. Europe which is placed second will reach the summit clash if they can beat Rest of the World in the 10th and final round later in the day.

India, placed fifth after nine rounds with 5 match points and 16 board points, Russia and Rest of the World are out of contention for the "Super Final". The event follows the double round-robin format, with the two leading teams battling for the title in the "Super Final".

In the other ninth round matches, Europe defeated USA 2.5-1.5 thanks to a win by Nana Dzagnidze after three other games ended in draws, while Russia and Rest of the World settled for a 2-2 result. All matches involve four boards - represented by three men and a woman player. The rapid time-control is 25-minute plus 10-second increment per move.