News

Global Chess League Day 6: PBG Alaskan Knights Near Finals as Underdogs Shake Up Leaderboard

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2024

Spread the love

With six victories in seven matches, PBG Alaskan Knights are comfortably at the top, with 18 match points – six more than Triveni and Alpine Sg Pipers who are trying to catch up. With three more matches remaining before the knockout stage, PBG need to score just one victory to secure a place in the finals.

Despite this, PBG’s top board Anish Giri was cautious about his team’s position: “It’s not done yet, we still need to get to the final and win. But so far it’s going well and I’m happy with everything, that’s for sure”.

In a stunning upset earlier in the day, the upGrad Mumba Masters defeated the favored Alpine Sg Pipers. On board one, Magnus Carlsen was left reeling after a blunder in a combination allowed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to claim victory. Visibly upset, Carlsen stormed out of the venue. The Mumba Masters capitalized on this momentum, securing a dominant 14-5 win and delivering a major blow to the Pipers’ chances of closing in on the league’s leaders.

In the second match of the day winners of season one, Triveni Continental Kings were defeated by American Gambits 14-5. The match saw Alireza Firouzja lose the first game in the tournament – blundering in an even rook endgame against non-other than world number two, Hikaru Nakamura.

The day closed with PBG Alaskan Knights confidently defeating Ganges Grandmasters 15-4. Playing as Black, the Alaskan Knights started with a defeat but then quickly took control of the match, winning on three boards.

With just three rounds left, PBG are almost unstoppable: they are six match points ahead of everyone else and need just one victory to reach the finals. Despite today’s defeat, Triveni remains in second place with 12 match points and 70 game points (nine less than PBG). No change for Alpine Sg Pipers despite them also suffering a defeat: they are in third place, with 12 match points and 57 game points.

Here follows a closer look of the matches on the sixth day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League:

Alpine Sg Pipers vs upGrad Mumba Masters: Magnus Carlsen and team stunned

In season one both teams were in contention for the top places. In season one, both teams were strong contenders for the top spots. While the Pipers have maintained their high-level performance in season two, the Mumba Masters have struggled. Mumba lost five matches—including a heavy 4-12 defeat to the Pipers earlier in the event—which has left them at the bottom of the standings.

Alpine Sg Pipers had the initiative of the first move. The match started calmly, with a relatively quick draw on one of the women’s boards between Hou Yifan and Humpy Koneru. However, the tide soon turned dramatically against the Pipers.

Magnus Carlsen made a critical blunder on the icon board, losing to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Upset by his loss, Carlsen stormed out of the playing area, visibly shaken. In response, Pipers’ Praggnanandhaa delivered a fierce attack against Vidit’s Black king, securing a win and keeping the Pipers in the match. On the second superstar board, Peter Svidler – who up to this point recorded two losses and four draws – claimed his first victory of the tournament, defeating Richard Rapport with the black pieces.

Things worsened for the Sg Pipers from there: Kateryna Lagno narrowly avoided defeat as Harika Dronavalli ran out of time, resulting in a draw. To cap it off, Daniel Dardha was defeated by Raunak Sadhwani in a tense rook endgame.

The final score was 14-5 in favor of upGrad Mumba Masters. Not only was this a remarkable comeback for Mumba, but it also prevented the Pipers from closing the gap with the top two teams, keeping the league standings wide open.

Triveni Continental Kings vs American Gambits: Triveni stunned as Firouzja suffers first loss

In the second match of the day, Triveni Continental Kings played the American Gambits. In their first encounter Triveni – who played as Black – crushed the American Gambits 15 – 3. However, this rematch was much more intense, with all the games going down to the wire, leading to some of the most surprising twists and turns in the tournament, so far.

The first shock came when Triveni’s Valentina Gunina blundered a winning position against Elisabeth Paehtz, overlooking a rook and handing the American Gambits an early lead. Then, on the icon board, Triveni’s Alireza Firouzja lost an even rook endgame to Hikaru Nakamura, blundering despite not being in time trouble. After the game, Nakamura quickly left the arena, while Firouzja—suffering his first defeat in the league—remained at the board, visibly stunned, as he put the pieces back in starting position.

The setbacks continued for Triveni: on the superstar board, Wei Yi failed to capitalize on a better position against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and both Teimour Radjabov and Yu Yangyi drew their games.

The decisive blow came from Bibisara Assaubayeva, who turned a losing position around to defeat former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. The only bright spot for Triveni was Javokhir Sindarov, who delivered a win against Jonas Bjerre on the prodigy board.

The final score was 14-5 in favor of the American Gambits.

PBG Alaskan Knights vs Ganges Grandmasters: PBG continue strong

In the final match of the day, tournament leaders PBG Alaskan Knights played the Ganges Grandmasters, who have been struggling at the bottom of the standings.

Ganges, playing as White, took an early lead thanks to Parham Maghsoodloo, who defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on the second superstar board. However, PBG’s Anish Giri quickly leveled the score, defeating Vishy Anand with the Black pieces after Anand made a costly mistake, entering a lost endgame.

Despite initially creating a promising position, PBG’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov was unable to convert his advantage and ended up drawing against Arjun Erigaisi. Meanwhile, Ganges’ Vaishali Rameshbabu first saved a losing position but then dropped a victory against former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi, with the game finishing in a draw.

PBG then scored an important victory when Alina Kashlinskaya confidently defeated Nurgyul Salimova on board five, pushing the score to 10-4. To seal victory, Nihal Sarin defeated Volodar Murzin, bringing the final score to 14-5 for PBG Alaskan Knights. After this defeat, Ganges Grandmasters were again pushed to the bottom of the scoreboard.

Related Topics:#globalchessleague #globalchessleague2024 #globalchessleagueseason2

Staff Reporter

Announcements

Indian tourists can get UAE visa fees waived for Abu Dhabi: Who qualifies

Published

4 hours ago

August 11, 2026

Michael Gomes

Spread the love

Indian travellers planning a holiday in Abu Dhabi can now have the cost of their UAE entry visa covered under a new tourism initiative.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched a limited-time programme for eligible Indian passport holders who book qualifying Abu Dhabi holiday packages through participating travel companies and online travel agencies.

The offer is available until October 31, 2026, during an initial pilot that will support up to 20,000 visas.

However, the offer comes with specific booking requirements. Travellers must book a package that includes both a return flight from India and at least three consecutive nights at an Abu Dhabi hotel.

Who is eligible for the free UAE visa offer?

The programme is aimed at Indian passport holders travelling from India to Abu Dhabi.

To qualify, travellers must book through a participating travel partner or online travel agency. The holiday package must include:

A minimum three-night stay at an Abu Dhabi hotel
A return flight from India
Booking through an eligible participating travel partner or OTA

The visa benefit cannot be claimed through an independent application. It is tied to qualifying holiday bookings made through the programme’s participating partners.

When is the Abu Dhabi free visa offer available?

The initiative runs from:

August 1 to October 31, 2026

DCT Abu Dhabi says the pilot programme will initially support up to 20,000 visas.

For eligible bookings, the tourism authority will cover the full cost of the UAE entry visa, potentially reducing the upfront expense for Indian visitors planning a trip to the emirate.

How does the visa fee waiver work?

Travel partners participating in the scheme have two ways to process the visa arrangements.

One option is to work with a DCT-appointed destination management company (DMC). In this case, DCT Abu Dhabi will pay the visa costs directly.

Travel companies can also use their existing DMC partners. Under this arrangement, DCT Abu Dhabi will reimburse Dh285 for each visa issued under the programme.

For travellers, the key point is that the benefit is handled through the participating travel partner rather than by applying for reimbursement independently.

Why is Abu Dhabi targeting Indian travellers?

India continues to be an important international source market for Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector.

According to DCT Abu Dhabi, the new programme is part of wider efforts to make the destination more accessible to Indian visitors while strengthening relationships with travel companies and improving connectivity between India and Abu Dhabi.

The initiative also aims to encourage visitors to spend more time in the emirate exploring its hotels, cultural attractions, entertainment options and natural landscapes.

Is the UAE visa completely free for all Indian tourists?

No.

The offer does not mean that every Indian passport holder automatically receives a free UAE tourist visa.

The visa fee is covered only when travellers meet the programme’s conditions and book through a participating travel partner or online travel agency.

The booking must include at least three consecutive hotel nights in Abu Dhabi and a return flight from India.

Travellers should therefore check with their chosen travel provider before booking to confirm that the package and visa arrangement qualify for the offer.

Abu Dhabi holiday offer:

Who: Eligible Indian passport holders travelling from India
Destination: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Offer period: August 1–October 31, 2026
Hotel requirement: Minimum three consecutive nights
Flight requirement: Return flight from India
Booking requirement: Participating travel partner or OTA
Visa cost: Covered by DCT Abu Dhabi for eligible bookings
Pilot capacity: Up to 20,000 visas
Independent applications: Not eligible for the programme

For Indian travellers already considering an Abu Dhabi getaway, the initiative could make an eligible holiday package more affordable, but checking the participating travel provider and meeting all the booking conditions will be essential.

Announcements

Small businesses in the UAE now have tax relief until 2029

Published

4 days ago

August 7, 2026

Michael Gomes

Spread the love

Small businesses in the UAE with annual revenues of up to Dh3 million will continue to be eligible for Small Business Relief under the corporate tax regime until the end of 2029.

The Ministry of Finance said on Friday that Ministerial Decision No. 131 extends the period during which eligible businesses can benefit from Small Business Relief to cover tax periods ending on or before December 31, 2029.

The relief was introduced to help reduce the corporate tax compliance burden for smaller businesses and start-ups that meet the eligibility requirements.

Dh3 million threshold remains unchanged

The existing annual revenue threshold of Dh3 million, set under Ministerial Decision No. 73 of 2023, will continue to apply.

The relief applies to tax periods beginning on or after June 1, 2023 and, following the latest amendment, will remain available for subsequent tax periods ending on or before December 31, 2029.

Eligible taxable persons with annual revenue of up to Dh3 million can claim Small Business Relief, subject to meeting the conditions and requirements outlined in the corporate tax legislation.

The relief enables qualifying businesses to benefit from simplified corporate tax compliance requirements.

More time for small businesses

The extension provides eligible small businesses and start-ups with additional tax periods to benefit from the relief while continuing to meet the Dh3 million revenue threshold.

The Ministry said the decision is part of its efforts to support smaller companies and entrepreneurs, strengthen the business environment, and encourage sustainable growth and expansion.

News

UAE public holiday announced: 3-day weekend coming up on August 28

Published

4 days ago

August 7, 2026

Michael Gomes

Spread the love

Planning your next long weekend? The UAE has confirmed Friday, August 28, as a public holiday for employees in both the public and private sectors.

The holiday commemorates Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday, an occasion included among the UAE’s official public holidays. As the date follows the Islamic calendar, the timing changes from year to year.

A three-day break for many residents

With the holiday falling on a Friday, employees who follow a Monday-to-Friday working week can enjoy three days off: