NEW DELHI: Mumba Masters secured a commanding victory against Ganges Grandmasters with a score of 17-4, winning four out of six boards on the opening day of the Global Chess League (GCL).At Mumbai’s Royal Opera House, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings began their title defence with a 9-7 victory over Alpine SG Pipers.
The GCL Season 3 opener featured a notable clash between Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana. Caruana chose an aggressive Sicilian Dragon as Black but the strategy backfired as Firouzja gained control and secured victory in the endgame.Pipers’ Nino Batsiashvili scored the season’s first points by defeating Alexandra Kosteniuk with Black pieces. Kings countered through Wei Yi’s victory over Anish Giri in a Vienna Game.The matches between Vidit Gujrathi and R Praggnanandhaa, Zhu Jiner and World No.1 Hou Yifan, and Marc’Andria Maurizzi and Leon Mendonca all ended in draws. Firouzja earned Player of the Match honours.“I feel happy that we won. Wei Yi also deserves this (MOTM award). I’ll share it when I go back. I remember we had a very good run last year, and we have to defend (the title) now. Our opponents (Pipers) were one of the strongest teams; they have so many great players. To get this win was important,” Firouzja said.In the Mumba Masters versus Ganges Grandmasters match, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated Viswanathan Anand playing with Black pieces. Masters gained early advantage when Bardiya Daneshvar won against Raunak Sadhwani. Wesley So and Vincent Keymer’s game ended in a draw with perpetual check. Harika Dronavalli and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov secured wins for the Masters.Polina Shuvalova scored the only win for Grandmasters by defeating Koneru Humpy. Harika and Mamedyarov’s victories sealed the dominant performance for Masters, with GCL newcomer So receiving Man of the Match honours. In the day’s final match, Alaskan Knights faced American Gambits in an intense board-by-board contest.The highlight was the game between Gukesh and Hikaru Nakamura, where Gukesh maintained consistent pressure in a tactical battle, but Nakamura managed to secure a draw.Teodora Injac claimed a crucial victory, while other boards saw close draws.The decisive game featured Leinier Dominguez against Richard Rapport, with Rapport securing the win to give the Gambits an 8-5 victory.Teodora Injac was named Player of the Match for her performance.Monday’s schedule includes American Gambits facing Mumba Masters, followed by SG Pipers versus Ganges Grandmasters. The day will conclude with Alaskan Knights taking on defending champions Triveni Continental Kings.
