PBG Alaskan Knights continued their unbeaten run while Viswanathan Anand's Ganges Grandmasters secured their first win in the season 2 of the Global Chess League on Saturday.
The Knights extended their lead with a dominant 12-3 win over the Ganges Grandmasters, maintaining a perfect record with four consecutive victories, earning them 12 match points and 49 game points. Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings played two matches on Saturday -- winning the first 15-3 against American Gambits, where Alireza Firouzja defeated world number two Hikaru Nakamura, but narrowly losing the second to Ganges Grandmasters.
Triveni remained in second place with six match points and 43 game points, just six behind the leaders.
Alpine Sg Pipers also impressed, defeating upGrad Mumba Masters 12-4. They now sit in third place with six match points, but their 27 game points from three matches leave them behind Triveni
Here's a look at the results:
Ganges Grandmasters vs Alaskan Knights
The coin toss gave the Alaskan Knights the white pieces against Ganges Grandmasters. The first game to wrap up was on the superstars' board, where Ganges Grandmaster's Arjun Erigaisi missed a winning opportunity against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, allowing the game to end in a draw.
In the clash between Icon players Anand and Anish Giri, the former world champion built a powerful position, but Giri managed to complicate matters, forcing Anand into time trouble. The Indian GM couldn't convert his advantage, and this game, too, fizzled out into a draw.
Later, Alina Kashlinskaya scored a crucial win for the Alaskan Knights, putting them ahead. Ganges pinned their hopes on Parham Maghsoodloo, who was dominating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. But in the final seconds, Maghsoodloo blundered in a winning position, gifting the full point to Mamedyarov.
Tan Zhongyi followed up with a win over Nurgyul Salimova on the second women's board, extending the Knights' lead. With the match already decided, Nihal Sarin calmly held a draw against Volodar Murzin on the juniors' board, sealing a comprehensive 12-3 victory for the Alaskan.
American Gambits vs Triveni Continental Kings
In the second match of the day, the American Gambits, playing with the white pieces, faced off against last year's champions, Triveni Continental Kings.
World number two and top chess streamer Hikaru Nakamura found himself in deep trouble against Alireza Firouzja-both on the board and the clock. Despite his best efforts, Nakamura couldn't escape and was forced to resign.
Triveni continued their dominance, with Wei Yi defeating Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Alexandra Kosteniuk pulling off a miracle win in a lost position against Bibisara Assaubayeva. These victories sealed the match for Triveni.
With the remaining three games ending in draws, Triveni triumphed with a commanding 15-3 score.
Alpine Sg Pipers vs upGrad Mumba Masters
On board one, Alpine's Magnus Carlsen found himself in a defensive position against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, unable to break free. The game ended in a draw. On board two, Indian teammates Vidit Gujrathi (Mumba Masters) and Praggnanandhaa also played to a balanced draw.
Day wraps up and Knights are looking strong at the �� of the Stake Points Table ��#TheNextMove #TechMGCL pic.twitter.com/xLy6ZxEDXm
- Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (@GCLlive) October 5, 2024
The pressure then shifted to Alpine's star GM Richard Rapport, who delivered a crucial win against Peter Svidler. Despite starting with the advantage of the first move, Svidler found himself in a weaker position early on and couldn't recover.
Both women's boards ended in draws, leaving the match to be decided on the junior board. Alpine's Daniel Dardha secured a victory over Raunak Sadhwani having promoted an extra queen, clinching a 12-4 win for the Pipers.
Ganges Grandmasters vs Triveni Continental Kings
The big upset of the day came in the final match. Ganges Grandmasters finally broke their losing streak with a 10-8 win over Triveni. After the coin toss, Triveni played with the white pieces, putting Anand on the back foot as black against Alireza Firouzja. Firouzja steadily built-up pressure, and by move 22, had a winning position.
Despite Anand's best efforts to resist, he eventually had to concede defeat, giving the lead to Triveni. Firouzja continued his stellar form, having defeated Carlsen, Anand, and Nakamura over the past two days.
Later, Ganges' Arjun Erigaisi played out his fourth consecutive draw, splitting the point with Wei Yi, a further sign of his struggling form.
Triveni extended their lead when Alexandra Kosteniuk beat Vaishali Rameshbabu. However, Parham Maghsoodloo, who had blundered a winning position in the previous match, redeemed himself with a key victory over Teimour Radjabov, keeping Ganges in the fight.
With the junior board ending in a draw, the fate of the match rested on Valentina Gunina and Nurgyul Salimova. In a drawn position, Gunina pushed too hard despite her team being ahead. She eventually lost on time, handing Ganges the crucial four points they needed to pull off their first win of the tournament.