Armenia Wins Pro Chess League Crown

The final match of the 2018 Pro Chess League came down to the wire - and then some - on the way to the Armenia Eagles defeated the Chengdu Pandas. The match, held this past Sunday in San Francisco, finished in an 8-8 tie, so it was on to overtime. The way that worked is like this: the fourth boards would play, with the winner going on to play the third board. In case of a draw, both players get eliminated, and the next board up for each side would play. (Unless, obviously, it's a draw on first board. In that case, they play again with colors reversed.) The Chinese fourth board won, but then lost to Armenia's third board. Then the third boards drew and eliminated each other; likewise the second boards. Then the first boards drew their first game and the second one too, before at long last Zaven Andriasian defeated Wang Yue to give the outrated Armenias the title.