Season one winners Triveni Continental Kings secured a narrow 9-7 victory over Alpine Sg Pipers, clinching the last spot in the finals. They will face the PBG Alaskan Knights in the championship on Saturday.
Friday marked the final day of matches at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, with two teams advancing to the finals. Despite three matches played, all eyes were on the decisive clash between second-placed Alpine Sg Pipers and Triveni Continental Kings, battling directly for the remaining spot in the finals. 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. A Triveni win would push them past the Pipers for the final spot.
The match's importance was clear from the start, with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich making the ceremonial first move on the icon board, where Triveni's Alireza 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 in a winning position against Wei Yi, and Hou Yifan let her advantage slip away 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.
The other two matches of the day also brought excitement. The bottom two teams, 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, Vishy Anand's Ganges Grandmasters triumphed over Mumba with a commanding 12-4 score, avoiding a last-place finish. For upGrad Mumba Masters, it was a disappointing end to a season that began with high hopes.
In the second match, PBG Alaskan Knights, already through to the finals, defeated the American Gambits 14-5. While the top two board games 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. Despite the loss, the Gambits finished fourth, securing a prize.
Here follows a closer look at the matches of day nine at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League:
upGrad Mumba Masters vs Ganges Grandmaster: Ganges avoid last-place finish
Although neither team did well on the scoreboard, their matches were consistently exciting, and this one was no exception. Mumba, playing with the white pieces, had Maxime Vachier-Lagrave take on former World Champion Vishy Anand on the icon board. In a tense and complicated game that lasted 71 moves, the players battled until only the kings remained, agreeing to a draw.
A similar result was registered on the superstar board. Mumba’s Arjun Erigaisi played aggressively against Vidit Gujrathi, who once again found himself in time trouble, as he had throughout the tournament. Despite the pressure, Erigaisi couldn’t break through, and the game ended in another draw.
Two more draws followed—between Dronavalli Harika and Nurgyul Salimova, and on the prodigy board between Raunak Sadhwani and Volodar Murzin—leaving the score level.
However, Ganges Grandmasters seized their chance. Vaishali Rameshbabu secured her first victory of the tournament, defeating Koneru Humpy, while Parham Maghsoodloo triumphed over Peter Svidler, both victories coming in time trouble. These key wins pushed the final score to 12-4 in Ganges’ favor.
American Gambits vs PBG Alaskan Knights: PBG gambits finish on a high
The second match of the day was between the American Gambits and PBG Alaskan Knights. On the icon board, Anish Giri and Hikaru Nakamura agreed to a draw in a balanced knight endgame.
Meanwhile, on the superstar board, the Gambits' Jan-Krzysztof Duda had the initiative but couldn’t achieve more than a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
The story was different on the remaining four boards. PBG’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov staged a dramatic comeback from a completely lost position against Yu Yangyi. Despite dropping his advantage twice, Mamedyarov somehow managed to secure the win. On the women’s board, Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi, keeping the Gambits' hopes alive in the match.
However, with Alina Kashlinskaya and Nihal Sarin pulling off wins on their boards, PBG sealed the match with a 14-5 victory.
Though PBG didn’t need this win, it will certainly boost their confidence heading into the finals. With eight victories in ten matches, they are deserved finalists. Despite their defeat, the Gambits finished the tournament in fourth place, securing a prize.
Alpine Sg Pipers v Triveni Continental Kings: A spectacular comeback for Triveni
Sg Pipers, playing with the Black pieces, had a strong start to the match. On the icon board, Magnus Carlsen applied significant pressure on Alireza Firouzja. By the middlegame, Carlsen secured a strong advantage that only continued to grow.
Meanwhile, on board two, Triveni's superstar Wei Yi was also in trouble. Facing Praggnanandhaa with the white pieces, he defended well until move 21, when he blundered, directly entering a lost position. On board three, Triveni’s Teimour Radjabov held steady against Richard Rapport, with the two agreeing to a draw—the first game to finish.
On board four, in a battle between two former Women’s World Champions, Sg Pipers' Hou Yifan gained the upper hand against Alexandra Kosteniuk, who fought hard to stay in the game.
Triveni's lone bright spot was on board five, where Valentina Gunina had a significantly better position against Kateryna Lagno. Gunina ultimately won, marking the beginning of a remarkable turnaround for Triveni.
The position prodigy board remained even until the endgame.
Then, momentum sharply shifted. While Carlsen defeated Firouzja to give Sg Pipers a critical lead, Praggnanandhaa misplayed his winning position against Wei Yi, resulting in a draw. The same fate struck Hou Yifan, who also drew her game. With that, Sg Pipers clung to a slim one-point lead, 7-6, but one game remained.
On the prodigy board, Triveni's Javokhir Sindarov built up a dominating position against Daniel Dardha and refused to let up. Despite Dardha’s attempts to salvage a draw, Sindarov maintained his pressure and defeated his opponent with just 14 seconds remaining on his clock.
It was a spectacular comeback for Triveni, who will now attempt to defend their season one title in a showdown against PBG Alaskan Knights on Saturday.
Written by Milan Dinic
Photos: Michal Walusza
Official website: globalchessleague.com/
About Tech Mahindra Global Chess League
The Global Chess League is the world's first and largest official franchise league of its kind, with chess players from all over the world competing in a unique joint team format. It is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra, a part of the Mahindra Group, and FIDE. The league will feature male and female chess champions competing in the same team. Playing on the popular rapid format, the league's joint male-female teams will have the rare distinction of being a unique multiplayer team in the world of professional sports. In addition, the league is a one-of-its-kind live televised chess event, offering fans a unique viewing experience. Tech Mahindra and FIDE will explore innovative ways to promote the game through interactive technology-enabled platforms by leveraging next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, among others. For more information on Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, please visit: globalchessleague.com/
Contact: Abhilasha Gupta, Head - Global Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Tech Mahindra
Email: Abhilasha.Gupta@TechMahindra.com; media.relations@techmahindra.com
