IMAGE: Alireza Firouzja poses after extending his winning streak. Photograph: Global Chess League
Reigning champions Triveni Continental Kings secured a 10-8 win over upGrad Mumba Masters in the opening match on day five of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League in London on Monday.
Alireza Firouzja continued his spectacular form, securing his fifth consecutive victory in the tournament.
Continental Kings entered the match with three wins out of five and began the day in second place.
PBG Alaskan Knights suffered their first defeat of the league, losing to the third-placed Alpine Sg Pipers.
Meanwhile, last year’s winners, Triveni Continental Kings, climbed to second place, tying with PBG in game points. Ganges Grandmasters also made strides up the table, while the American Gambits and upGrad Mumba Masters find themselves at the bottom of the standings.
Defending champions Triveni secured a 10-8 win over upGrad Mumba Masters in the opening match of the day.
Triveni's star player, Alireza Firouzja, continued his stellar performance, clinching his fifth consecutive victory in the league. Despite having one fewer match win than PBG, Triveni now have an equal number of game points.
Meanwhile, upGrad Mumba Masters have fallen to the bottom of the standings, being the only team with just one match win.
League leaders PBG Alaskan Knights faced their first setback in the league, after a narrow 9-7 loss to Alpine Sg Pipers.
Led by Magnus Carlsen on the icon board, the Pipers secured victory thanks to stellar performances by their two women players, Kateryna Lagno and Hou Yifan, who both won their games.
In the final match of the day, Ganges Grandmasters cruised to a 10-4 win over the American Gambits. Key victories by Nurgyul Salimova and Volodar Murzin sealed the win.
This victory pushed Ganges up to fourth place, while the Gambits dropped down to fifth.
The second match saw Magnus Carlsen’s Alpine Sg Pipers face league leaders PBG Alaskan Knights. '
Their previous encounter finished with a narrow victory for the Knights, 9-7. The Knights entered this rematch hoping to extend their unbeaten run but the Sg Pipers were eager for revenge.
Right from the outset, the Sg Pipers, playing with the White pieces, seemed to find more comfortable positions and were steadily pressing the tournament leaders.
Carlsen sacrificed material early on to improve his position, while Giri opted for a daring combination, giving up his queen but gaining what seemed to be a more favorable setup for Black.
By this point, Giri had six minutes left on the clock, while Carlsen was down to just three. Carlsen ultimately got the upper hand but faltered under time pressure, leading the game to a draw.
The first decisive result of the match came from Alpine’s Kateryna Lagno, who scored her first victory in six games by defeating Alina Kashlinskaya.
With the superstar boards ending in draws, this win was critical for the Sg Pipers. However, on board six, things weren’t going their way: Daniel Dardha was in serious trouble against PBGs Nihal Sarin. Fortunately for the Pipers, Hou Yifan beat Tan Zhongyi, which ultimately swung the match in her team’s favor.
Ganges Grandmasters vs American Gambits: Vishy Anand’s team finally pulls through
The Ganges Grandmasters entered this match at the bottom of the league standings. They had just one victory and four losses, totaling only 28 game points. The team led by Vishy Anand needed a win to avoid falling further behind in the competition. Meanwhile, the American Gambits were also under pressure, needing a win to catch up with the top three teams.
In their previous encounter, the American Gambits had dominated with a 10-4 win over the Ganges Grandmasters. For the rematch, Ganges had the advantage of playing with the White pieces.
The match was tense from the start. Vishy Anand drew with Hikaru Nakamura on the top board, as neither side was able to gain a decisive advantage. On the first superstar board, Ganges’ Erigaisi had a golden opportunity to score a win against Jan-Krzysztof Duda but blundered in the endgame, settling for a draw.
Tight draws also followed on the second superstar board and the first women’s board, with Vaishali and Bibisara Assaubayeva unable to break through each other’s defences.
The match outcome hinged on the lower boards. Nurgyul Salimova made a strong comeback, avenging her previous loss to Elisabeth Paehtz by winning a tricky queen endgame.
Meanwhile, Ganges’ youngster Volodar Murzin established a commanding position early on against Jonas Bjerre and converted it into a crucial victory.
With two victories and four draws, Ganges Grandmasters secured a 10-4 win, lifting them from the bottom of the table. The American Gambits, on the other hand, dropped to fifth place.
