Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 6 (ANI): Ganges Grandmasters stopped the winning juggernaut of FYER American Gambits while defending champions Alpine APL Pipers registered their second consecutive win in the Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Ganges Grandmasters, playing two matches on day 2, put behind the disappointment of losing to Alpine APL Pipers in the first match of the day to convincingly beat the Gambits 9-7 and move to second spot in the standings, according to a press release from GCL.
Pipers had earlier beaten the Ganges Grandmasters 11-6, while PBG Alaskan Knights had defeated CheQ Mumba Masters 11-6 for their first win of the tournament.
The second day of action at the GCL Season 4 proved to be a treat for fans as they witnessed some clinical victories and great escapes. Indian esports icon and S8UL co-founder Naman “Mortal” Mathur, who was also among the spectators, would have enjoyed the fact that his favourite player, Nihal Sarin, won the only game for FYERS American Gambits against the Ganges Grandmasters.
However, Nihal’s victory wasn’t enough for the Gambits to get the winning edge, as Player of the Match Polina Shuvalova defeated Bibisara Assaubayeva to win her third game in three rounds.
Ian Nepomniachtchi then turned the tables on 2026 Candidates winner Javokhir Sindarov in a rook-pawn endgame to put his team ahead. Gambit’s Daniil Dubov could not convert his advantage against Leinier Dominguez Perez into a win despite stretching the game to 101 moves.
Earlier, Vidit Gujrathi and Koneru Humpy registered their second straight win with black pieces to put the Pipers in the driver’s seat despite women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh suffering another reversal.
Vidit made the most of a slight error from Leinier Dominguez Perez to win in 38 moves, and Humpy once again showed her class with a systematic dismantling of Stavroula Tsolakidou in 41 moves.
But with Divya going down against Shuvalova, the Ganges Grandmasters had a chance to narrow the margin of defeat, as Ian Nepomniachtchi had a clear advantage with almost over 5 minutes on hand going to the endgame against Magnus Carlsen on the icon board.
But the world No. 1 Norwegian once again showed why he is called the king of endgames as he fought back after trading the queens to play out a draw.
Speaking after her match, Player of the Match Humpy said, “After the opening I was very clear that I was in a better position. Definitely, I could have played much better, but I also wanted to play fast, and I think I played well enough to win.”
Later, PBG Alaskan Knights jumped to fourth place in the standings as Arjun Erigaisi, Player of the match Nino Batsiashvili and Abhimanyu Mishra won their matches with white pieces to register a comfortable victory over CheQ Mumba Masters. 15-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus looked good to beat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov but could not find the right combination under time pressure and eventually resigned after 82 moves.
Schedule for Sunday, September 7:
3.30 PM: PBG Alaskan Knights vs Alpine APL Pipers
5.00 PM: CheQ Mumba Masters vs Ganges Grandmasters
6.30 PM: Alpine APL Pipers vs FYERS American Gambits
8.00 PM: PBG Alaskan Knights vs Triveni Continental Kings. (ANI)
GCL: Ganges Grandmasters edge table toppers FYERS American Gambits 9-7 to jump to second spot
