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The second match of the "Hans Niemann against the world" series kicked off on Wednesday at the Gem Fitzrovia Hotel in London. Unlike the match against Anish Giri in Utrecht - which started with the blitz section - the match in England sees the 6 classical games taking place first, with 2 encounters scheduled daily until Friday.
In the series, classical games are played with a 90+30 time control (90 minutes for the game, with 30-second increments per move). This rather quick classical control prompted Nikita Vitiugov to struggle with time management during the first 2 encounters - especially in the inaugural game, in which Niemann made the most of a considerable advantage on the clock to score a win with the black pieces (analysed below).
Fatigue was not a damaging factor for Niemann, who beat Giri in a similar 5-day match just last week. The format of the matches - including 6 classical games, 6 rapid games and 12 blitz games - is quite exhausting. This aspect might end up being decisive, as Niemann, aged 21, is much younger than Vitiugov (37 y.o.) and his next opponent, Etienne Bacrot (41 y.o.).
Nonetheless, Vitiugov managed to escape with a draw from a considerably worse position in Wednesday's afternoon game.
The second game in progress | Photo: Frans Peeters
