After allowing an easy draw as white, it was Anand's turn to fight with the black pieces and the Indian ace took his chances when Giri ventured into troubled waters.
It was a double Fianchetto by Giri in the opening and the Dutchman allowed Anand to come up with an exchange sacrifice to get dangerous passed pawns on the queen side.
"Today I played a horrible game," said Giri. "I did everything to lose, but may be just not enough."
It turned out to be another tough day for world champion Magnus Carlsen as he lost his second straight game in a row against Fabiano Caruana of Italy.
After losing on time against Bulgarian Veselin Topalov from a winning position, Carlsen could not match the deep preparation and dominating play of Caruana out of a Berlin defense game. The Italian was at his best in finding just the right resources and cruised home in the endgame.
Veselin Topalov thought he was "pushing for more" against Hikaru Nakamura of United States but the latter wriggled out with his trademark counter-active chess.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Access to Exclusive Premium Stories
Over 30 subscriber-only stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app