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          Global Chess League: Mumba Masters stun Alaskan Knights, Kings and Pipers improve chances of reaching finals

          The Magnus Carlsen vs Hikaru Nakamura clash ended in a draw on day seven of the Global Chess League. Global Chess League
          • ESPN staffOct 10, 2024, 03:33 AM

          The upGrad Mumba Masters pulled off a massive upset by outwitting tournament leaders PBG Alaskan Knights on Wednesday, denying them direct qualification to the finals of the Global Chess League. Meanwhile, Triveni Continental Kings and Alpine Sg Pipers moved closer to securing their spots at the top.

          upGrad Mumba Masters vs PBG Alaskan Knights

          In a surprising turn of events at the start of the day, upGrad Mumba Masters delivered a shocking defeat to the PBG Alaskan Knights 10-9, disrupting their path to direct qualification for the finals.

          The Mumba Masters got better positions early on but it was the Alaskan Knights who took the lead after a draw between Dronavalli Harika and Kashlinskaya, Mumba's Vidit Gujrathi lost on time against Abdusattorov and Peter Svidler fell to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.

          But Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's critical win over Anish Giri on the icon board kept Mumba in the match. It came down to the final two boards, where Mumba's Humpy Koneru and Raunak Sadhwani converted their chances under time pressure, sealing the upset. As Nihal Sarin resigned, the crowd at Friends House applauded Mumba's resilience. With this victory, Mumba remain in contention for the finals, while PBG must wait for another opportunity to qualify.

          "It feels great. I'm glad I could help the team. We had nothing to lose, wanting to play a good match and it worked," Mumba's prodigy player Raunak Sadhwani said after the match.

          Ganges Grandmasters vs Triveni Continental Kings: A great start but a terrible finish for Ganges

          Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings earned a smooth victory against the Ganges Grandmasters 12-9, tightening their grip on a spot in the finals.

          The Ganges Grandmasters started the match confidently with the White pieces. Vishy Anand gained an early advantage over Alireza Firouzja right after the opening, while Parham Maghsoodloo and Nurgyul Salimova also secured strong positions in their games. Vaishali R joined in, achieving a favourable position against former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk.

          However, disaster struck when Anand hesitated in his promising position, eventually losing and handing the lead to Triveni. Despite this setback, the Ganges team still held favourable positions on most boards. Arjun Erigaisi secured a much-needed victory on board two, defeating Wei Yi - his first win after seven consecutive draws. But then more bad news followed for Ganges: Vaishali lost a better position to Kosteniuk, and Maghsoodloo blundered a completely winning position against Teimour Radjabov on board three, ultimately giving the match to Triveni. Despite late wins from Salimova against Gunina and Murzin against Sindarov, Ganges lost the match 12-9, ending their hopes of reaching the finals.

          American Gambits vs Alpine Sg Pipers: Praggnanandhaa secures crucial win for the Pipers

          The Gambits got off to a good start with Elisabeth Paehtz securing a significantly better position against Kateryna Lagno. Shortly after, Bibisara Assaubayeva gained an advantage over Hou Yifan. On board three, however, the Pipers caught a break when Yu Yangyi accepted a draw from Richard Rapport, despite being in a better position.

          Meanwhile, Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen were in a drawn position. When Carlsen offered a rook exchange to settle the game, both players looked around to assess how their teammates were faring. Nakamura accepted the exchange of the rooks, though he opted to continue playing because his knight was stronger than Carlsen's bishop in the pawn endgame. Despite this, the game ended in a draw.

          On the superstar board, Sg Pipers' Praggnanandhaa had a dominant position against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, which he eventually converted into a win, swinging the match in the Pipers' favour. Although Paehtz secured her win, the Gambits lost on the prodigy board, and Assaubayeva let her advantage slip, settling for a draw against Hou. The match ended 11-6 in favour of the Alpine Sg Pipers.