Niemann starts off with a win in match against Vitiugov

Hans Niemann got off to a good start in his London match against Nikita Vitiugov. The US grandmaster won the first game with black and drew the next one to get a 4½-1½ lead in the 5-day match – wins in the classical games are worth 3 points in the “Hans Niemann against the world” series. Niemann also got the upper hand in the second game, but failed to convert it into a win. | Photo: Frans Peeters