Global Chess League 2023: Titans stun Ganges, Mumba beats Kings
In another intense battle, the upGrad Mumba Masters emerged victorious against the Triveni Continental Kings, securing the win on the final two boards.
Published : Jun 27, 2023 22:31 IST , DUBAI - 3 MINS READ
GM Harika Dronavalli in action. (File Photo) | Photo Credit: Velankanni Raj B | The Hindu
The Global Chess League delivered another round of gripping clashes as the Chingari Gulf Titans triumphed over Ganges Grandmasters with a score of 9:7.
In another intense battle, the upGrad Mumba Masters emerged victorious against the Triveni Continental Kings, securing the win on the final two boards.
Despite the defeat, Ganges Grandmasters continue to lead in the Global Chess League, while Mumba Masters moved one place up and is now third.
The Titans clashed with the Ganges in its second encounter in the round-robin stage. In the previous match, the Ganges had played as white and emerged victorious after winning the coin toss. This time, it was their turn to play with the black pieces.
Global Chess League: Triveni Continental Kings fails to stop Ganges Grandmasters’ charge
The Ganges won the first duel with a score of 10:4 while the Titans were under pressure right from the start. The first break for the Titans came on board five - Polina Shuvalova created a better position against Bella Khotenashvilli.
In a complicated position, Khotenashvilli made an error in time trouble and handed over the game to Shuvalova and, eventually lost on time. Soon afterwards two top world heavyweights Richard Rapport and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov decided to draw.
In a chaotic game between Daniil Dubov and Leinier Dominguez, where both sides exchanged advantages, Dubov emerged victorious after time trouble, securing four critical points for the Titans. Nihal Sarin drew with Andrey Esipenko despite having the upper hand for the greater part of the game.
Vishy Anand of Ganges gave his team a respite when he beat icon player and board one Jan-Kryzsztof Duda, but that wasn’t enough for a victory.
Mumba Masters vs Triveni Continental Kings (10:4)
Despite starting the Global Chess League with a win, the Mumba Masters has faced a challenging journey so far - securing two victories and suffering two losses, and one draw.
On the other hand, the Kings have encountered difficulties. Both sides were evenly matched for the majority of the game but Harika Dronavalli was slightly better than Sara Khadem.
As the players were nearing time trouble, things on the boards began to change quickly. Mumba’s Javokhir Sindarov opted for a pawn advance on the kingside which proved to be ill-prepared. His opponent - another prodigy - Jonas Buhl Bjerre leapt at the opportunity and soon got into a very strong position. As they were having less time on their clocks, both players started to err, exchanging advantages with one another and keeping the game open until the end.
By the time Koneru Humpy agreed on a draw with Kateryna Lagno, her compatriot and Mumba teammate Dronavalli was winning against Khadem. In the meantime, Mumba got another strong pin as Alexander Grischuk was winning against Triveni’s Yu Yangyi. However, it wasn’t a walk in the park as Yu Yangyi was better on time and soon managed to unsettle Grischuk as the famed Russian player threw away his advantage.
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As tension mounted across the boards, team leaders and icon players - Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian decided to settle for a draw. Soon, Vidit Gurjathi and Wei Yi also agreed to a draw. Grischuk lost momentum and had to accept a draw against Grandmaster Yu.
The fate of the match hinged on the final two boards and it was Dronavalli who defeated Sara Khadem. For the Kings, Jonas Bjerre misplayed his position, allowing Sindarov to seize the advantage and secure a win.
The Kings suffered another loss as Mumba Masters emerged triumphant with a final score of 10:4.