On Friday, all eyes were on the decisive clash between Alpine Sg Pipers and Triveni Continental Kings at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, battling directly for a spot in the final. In the end, it was Alireza Firouzja's Triveni who clinched the match and will fight for the title on Satuday.
The Pipers entered with 18 match points and 81 game points, while Triveni had 15 match points but a higher game point tally of 90.
The match's importance was clear from the start, with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich making the ceremonial first move on the icon board, where Firouzja faced Sg Pipers' Magnus Carlsen. The Pipers started strong, securing solid positions on the top two boards, and soon after, Hou Yifan gained the upper hand against Alexandra Kosteniuk. A draw between Radjabov and Rapport on board three kept the tension high.
At this point, Sg Pipers seemed on the verge of victory. However, as often happens in rapid chess, momentum shifted in minutes. Triveni's Valentina Gunina delivered a crucial win against Kateryna Lagno. While Carlsen secured victory on the top board, giving Sg Pipers a temporary lead, Praggnanandhaa blundered a winning position against Wei Yi, and Hou Yifan misplayed her advantage against Kosteniuk.
With the score at 7-6 in favor of Sg Pipers, everything came down to the prodigy board, where Triveni's Javokhir Sindarov was winning against Daniel Dardha. Despite severe time pressure on both sides, Sindarov held his nerve and secured the win, swinging the match for Triveni 9-7 and sending them to the finals, where they will defend their season one title against PBG Alaskan Knights.
Here's a look at the Stake Points Table, with the Top 2️⃣ teams locked in for the Finale at 6:00PM IST ��#TechMGCL #TheNextMove pic.twitter.com/sUKbTnLFWE
- Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (@GCLlive) October 11, 2024
In other matches, upGrad Mumba Masters and Ganges Grandmasters opened the day. Despite their strong squads, both teams struggled this season. Last season's runners-up, Mumba, managed only three wins in nine matches, while Ganges secured just two. In their final match, Viswnathan Anand's Grandmasters triumphed over Mumba with a commanding 12-4 score, avoiding a last-place finish.
Meanwhile, PBG Alaskan Knights, already through to the finals, defeated the American Gambits 14-5. While the top two boards ended in draws, PBG scored with Black on three of the remaining four boards. Though this match had no impact on the standings -- PBG was already qualified for the finals, and the Gambits couldn't improve their fourth-place standing -- the players gave their all. PBG's victory, their eighth in ten matches, further boosted their confidence ahead of the finals on Saturday.