PBG Alaskan Knights had their first taste of defeat in this Global Chess League season as they lost to the third-placed Alpine Sg Pipers on Monday. Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings moved to the second spot and the Ganges Grandmasters also made strides up the table, while the American Gambits and upGrad Mumba Masters occupy the bottom slots of the standings.
The three matches played at London's Friends House marked the beginning of the second half of the Global Chess League, with teams now facing each other in return matches.
Triveni Continental Kings vs upGrad Mumba Masters
Reigning champs 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 and are the only team with just one match win.
Mumba's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was looking to avenge his earlier loss to Firouza and in what was a sharp, tactical game, Vachier-Lagrave made several blunders, allowing Firouzja to seal the match with a crushing attacking combination. The game would have ended in checkmate had Vachier-Lagrave not resigned. This marked Firouzja's fifth consecutive victory, leaving him undefeated after six rounds.
Vidit Gujrathi and Wei Yi followed the same opening line on the top board. Unlike the first game, however, Mumba came out on top after a critical mistake by Wei Yi late in the game. Alexandra Kosteniuk then extended Triveni's lead by defeating Humpy Koneru, but Harika Dronavalli struck to keep Mumba in contention.
The Kings' Icon seems happy with his unstoppable �� performances ��#TechMGCL #TheNextMove #TCKvUMM | @MahindraRise | @tech_mahindra | @trivenickings | @FIDE_chess | @AlirezaFirouzja | @JioCinema | @chesscom | @chesscom_in pic.twitter.com/Q8NrAjn7wC
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With Triveni leading 9-7, the outcome hinged on the youngsters' board. Triveni's Javokhir Sindarov had two winning positions but missed both, ending in desperate time trouble. Mumba's Raunak Sadhwani wasn't aware that his team needed a win - he could have played on but opted to repeat the moves, giving a draw to Triveni which sealed their victory.
"This is one of the best performances I've ever had, but there are still a few rounds left," said Firouzja after the game, adding that his team was "a bit lucky to win the match."
Alpine Sg Pipers vs PBG Alaskan Knights
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 the win courtesy of stellar performances from their two women players, Kateryna Lagno and Hou Yifan, who both won their games.
The Sg Pipers, playing with the White pieces, seemed to find more comfortable positions from the outset. 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.
Pipers' dressing room scenes after an important win ��#TechMGCL #TheNextMove #PBGvSG | @tech_mahindra | @MahindraRise | @AlpineSGPipers | @chesscom | @chesscom_in | @FIDE_chess pic.twitter.com/Z9dWVY9QIp
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The first decisive result of the tie 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. Hou Yifan's win over Tan Zhongyi swung the match in the Pipers' favor.
Ganges Grandmasters vs American Gambits
In the final match of the day, the Ganges Grandmasters picked up a 10-4 win over the American Gambits. Key victories by Nurgyul Salimova and Volodar Murzin sealed the win. This victory pushed the Ganges Grandmasters up to fourth place, while the Gambits dropped to fifth.
The Ganges Grandmasters entered this match at the bottom of the league standings with just one win and four losses. The Ganges Grandmasters had the advantage of playing with the White pieces this time around and Vishwanathan Anand drew with Hikaru Nakamura on the top board to start things off. On the first superstar board, Ganges' Erigaisi had a golden opportunity to score a win against Jan-Krzysztof Duda but blundered in the endgame to draw the contest. Tight draws 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.
Salimova's strong comeback to beat Elisabeth Paehtz in a tricky queen endgame was crucial and Murzin's clinical win against Jonas Bjerre handed the Ganges Grandmasters a much-needed win.