PBG Alaskan Knights secured a much-needed win in the seventh round of the Global Chess League, with a commanding 14-5 triumph against Ganges Grandmasters, though it came at the expense of a defeat for Viswanathan Anand. He lost 4-0 to Anish Giri of the Netherlands. The Knights now have 18 points, while Triveni Continental Kings and Alpine SG Pipers are both on 12 points. The top two teams will meet in the final.
It wasn’t a great day for the Indian players representing the Ganges Grandmasters. After Anand’s loss, Arjun Erigaisi drew with Nodirbek Abdusattarov, and R Vaishali also split the point with Tan Zhyonghi. It’s worth noting that both Abdusattarov of Uzbekistan and Tan of China are rated higher in the rapid format than Erigaisi and Vaishali.
Nihal Sarin kept up his good run on Board 6, posting his fifth win in the competition being played in London. He has drawn his two other games. It’s been a strong outing for this player from Kerala, who is in the competition as the Under-21 player that each team is required to have.
Mumba Masters registered a desperately needed win, outplaying Alpine SG Pipers 14-5. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave set the tone for his side by scripting a massive 4-0 win against Magnus Carlsen. Vidit Gujrathi, however, lost 0-3 against R Praggnanandhaa of the Pipers.
Peter Svidler’s 4-0 win against Richard Rapport handed Mumba back the initiative. Koneru Humpy and D Harika drew their games, while Raunak Sadhwani on the sixth board posted an emphatic 4-0 win against Daniel Dardha. It was a timely win for Mumba, keeping them in contention.
The American Gambits also recorded an important 14-5 win against Triveni Continental Kings to move to nine points. This was a clash featuring no Indians. Hikaru Nakamura defeated Alireza Firouzja on the top board. After two draws and two more wins, the American Gambits lost the last game, but by then, they had already sealed the win.
With three rounds remaining in this one-of-a-kind chess tournament featuring six franchise-based teams, the race for the top two spots is wide open. PBG Alaskan Knights look good to qualify at the moment, while the second spot is closely contested. It could go to anyone after the Round 7 outcomes.
Standings after Round 7
PBG Alaskan Knights – 18
Triveni Continental Kings – 12
Alpine SG Pipers – 12
American Gambits – 9
Mumba Masters – 6
Ganges Grandmasters – 6
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🚨 “I think we won in such a fashion that no questions could be asked”- @viditchess reflecting on the #ChessOlympiad triumph!
He spoke on the importance of @GCLlive as a tournament, the format of the game, @DGukesh‘s chances in the upcoming World Championship and… pic.twitter.com/Y5FaTPfC2X
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