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.
Mumba Masters, last season's top contenders, were struggling with one win and four losses, placing them just above the bottom of the standings.
This phase marked the beginning of the rematch stage, with all teams having already faced each other once.
In their first contest, Continental Kings, playing with white, defeated Mumba 12–3 with wins by Firouzja, Wei Yi, and Valentina Gunina.
This time, Mumba had the advantage of making the first move.
Mumba's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave sought to avenge his previous loss to Firouzja but succumbed to another defeat after several blunders in a sharp, tactical game.
Firouzja clinched victory with a powerful attacking combination, forcing Vachier-Lagrave to resign in a near-checkmate situation.
Firouzja's win keeps him undefeated after six rounds.
Vidit Gujrathi and Wei Yi repeated their earlier opening line on the top board, but this time, Vidit capitalised on a critical mistake by Wei Yi to secure a win for Mumba.
Alexandra Kosteniuk extended Continental Kings' lead by defeating Koneru Humpy, but Harika Dronavalli brought Mumba back into the match by defeating Gunina.
With Continental Kings leading 9–7, the match came down to the youngsters' board.
Continental Kings' Javokhir Sindarov missed two winning chances and found himself in time trouble.
Mumba's Raunak Sadhwani, unaware his team needed a win, opted for a draw by repeating moves as it sealed Continental Kings' 10–8 victory.
"This is one of the best performances I've ever had, but there are still a few rounds left," Firouzja said after the match, adding that his team was "a bit lucky to win."
