Sports
Kings and Masters surprise finalists of Global Chess League
Another dramatic day in the final round of the round-robin matches of the Global Chess League saw surprise names emerge as the last teams standing for the grand finale. Triveni Continental Kings and upGrad Mumba Masters will now face off in the summit clash over two legs on Sunday at Le Meridien hotel, Dubai.
With a four-streak winning run in as many matches, including a dominating victory over tournament favourites Ganges Grandmasters, Kings became the first to qualify. SG Alpine Warriors, who were joint favourites with GG, had two matches to get it right; the same as Chingari Gulf Titans. Placed fourth, the Titans narrowly edged out the Warriors 8-7 in the first result of the day that put Mumba Masters in a better position mentally.
The Warriors were their final opponents and their vulnerability, despite Carlsen winning his matches, gave them hope just as the Kings provided inspiration with their 11-6 win over GG. Fortune favoured the brave and though Carlsen drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi, the Masters ran out 18-2 winners for the biggest margin of the tournament.
The Titans then needed to beat bottom-table Balan Alaskan Knights where even one win would have been sufficient. But the infectious underdogs spirit took over the Knights as beat the Titans 12-4 with no camp happier than the Mumba Masters.
“We played like there is no tomorrow. We have not been up to the mark in the past few games, but the team spirit was good and it is what kept us going,” said Vidit Gujrathi of UMM.
Levon Aronian, the icon player for the Kings, was seen smiling from ear to ear. He acknowledged that the tournament is not over yet, but “there can be one little celebration tonight, and then hopefully we can have a bigger one tomorrow.”
His counterpart for the final, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave said: “My team fought well and generally for the most part of the two weeks. Both teams deserve to be in the final.”
Bet you haven’t seen this happening in a chess game. This is the spirit of the @GCLlive
Congratulations to @umumba for this incredible performance.Thank you @tech_mahindra and @anandmahindra for this.
Full video- https://t.co/GQVXYvGJtj pic.twitter.com/jkr1izEc40
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) July 1, 2023
SG Alpine Warriors vs upGrad Mumba Masters
The women players started the ball rolling for UMM. On board five, Harika Dronavalli dominated Elisabeth Paehtz and then treated a mate in three. On board four, Koneru Humpy was significantly better against Irina Krush and was the first one to win, scoring important four points with Black.
On the prodigy board, Mumba’s Javokhir Sindarov managed to stop Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – the top-performing player in the league – and hold him to a draw. Carlsen drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, despite having a slight advantage. Just as Carlsen was getting up, Dronavalli’s result came through. The world’s top player could not hide his disappointment.
Realising his team’s lost situation, Gukesh resigned to Alexander Grischuk from a weaker position. The last game to finish was on board five where Gujrathi converted his advantage against Arjun Erigaisi.
Triveni Continental Kings vs Ganges Grandmasters
While a draw would have been enough for Grandmasters, Triveni had to win. In the Caro-Kann defence, Aronian gained more initiative and posed serious threats to Anand. Unfazed, the former world champion got his knight and rook to the bottom of the board and found a perpetual check to hold a draw.
Sara Khadem of Iran
However, Sara Kahdem scored a huge victory for Triveni as she defeated Bella Khotenashvili in a sharp game. By this point, Kings were dominating on three of the four remaining boards. Wei Yi struck on board three against Leinier Dominguez. Despite being in a weaker position, Kateryna Lagno managed to draw the game with Hou Yifan.
When Yu Yangyi lost against GG’s Richard Rapport, the Kings were 8-5 ahead and GG had to win on the prodigy board to take the win. However, Jonas Bjerre took the initiative and forced a winning rook endgame against Andrey Esipenko. Praising substitute replacement Khadem for the turn in fortunes, the leader Aronian said: “Sara really changed the atmosphere in the team – she helped team moral and here we are”, said Levon Aronian.
Chingari Gulf Titans vs Balan Alaskan Knights (4:12)
The Chingari Gulf Titans had destiny in their own hands and were playing with white pieces. Icon players Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Ian Nepomniachtchi finished in an even endgame. However, on board two Shakhriyar Mamedyarov had a huge advantage over the 2021 World Rapid Champion, Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Boards five and six were more in favour of Chingari, but then the tables turned. In a completely dominating position, Mamedyarov made an error and ended up significantly weaker. He left the board in disgust shortly.
While Nihal Sarin and Raunak Sadhwani drew their game, Chingari’s Polina Shuvalova lost to BAK’s Nino Batsiashvili. Approaching the endgame, Shuvalova made a mistake and gave an exchange up to Black, finishing in a completely lost position. Under pressure, the Titans folded up without a fight.
Announcements
UAE’s first-ever Woman Grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to play the Norway Chess Open 2025
In a bid to encourage chess players in the Middle East and provide a platform at the global stage, the organisers of Norway Chess – one of the most prestigious tournaments in the FIDE chess calendar – has invited Emirate’s first-ever female grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025 which will see participation from 31 countries.
The 15-year-old Rouda was formally presented with the invitation by Kjell Madland, Managing Director and visionary behind Norway Chess, today at a press event in Seven Seas Hotel in Dubai. Also present at the grand occasion was Dr Mansoor Al Tamimi, Vice Technical Committee Chair, the Technical Director from the Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Mind Games. Koneru Humpy, two-time women’s world rapid chess champion, also joined virtually and wished Rouda ahead of her upcoming events.
Kjell Madland, Managing Director of Norway Chess, presents the official invitation to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025 to Rouda Al Serkal, the UAE’s first Woman Grandmaster, as Benedicte Westre Skog, COO of Norway Chess, looks on during the official press conference held at the Seven Seas Hotel in Dubai on Wednesday. Photo Credit: Joy Dasgupta/Norway chess
The Norway Chess Open 2025 will be held from May 26 to June 1 at the IMI Forum in Stavanger, attracting both grandmasters and ambitious chess players seeking title norms and valuable competitive experience. With previous participants like reigning World Champion Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali, who participated in the Norway Chess Open as budding players before their meteoric rise in the sport, has established itself as an essential arena for players seeking high-level competition.
Speaking about providing this unique opportunity for Rouda, Kjell Madland expressed, “Norway Chess is delighted to invite Rouda Essa Alserkal to participate in this year’s Norway Chess Open 2025. I congratulate Rouda on the remarkable feat to become the first woman Chess Grandmaster from the UAE and she stands tall as an inspiration for women in this region to achieve. The Norway Chess Open provides a great opportunity for Grandmasters and chess players to hone their skills and gain competitive exposure. We hope to find and encourage many future chess stars from the Middle East to play in the Norway Chess Open.”
Madland further highlighted the importance of growing chess as a competitive sport in the Middle East and expressed interest in creating further synergies with potential partners in the UAE. “We are exploring the possibility of hosting Norway Chess tournament in the Middle East and potential partners are welcome to connect with us. We are also working to broadcast Norway Chess live to the fans in the Middle East,” he said.
In the Norway Chess Open category, leading the list of participants is Rinat Jumbayev (KAZ), followed by strong contenders such as Gergely Kantor (HUN), Valentin Dragnev (AUT), Vitaly Kunin (GER), Norwegian Frode Urkedal (NOR), and Chinese grandmaster Jiner Zhu (CHN).
Expressing her excitement to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025, Rouda said, “I am looking forward to the competition as I know Norway Chess is the strongest grooming ground for future chess superstars. When I first heard that I am getting invited for the Norway Chess Open, I could not believe it and I was so thrilled, I told my coach immediately – that I need to start preparing. This is the most prestigious tournament in the world and I am sure this experience will help me improve my game further.”
“I am also greatly looking forward to meet Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, also some of the Indian players like the new World Champion Gukesh who will be participating in the Norway Chess 2025,” she added.
The Norway Chess Open features double rounds on Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30, providing excellent opportunities for title norms in the top group. In the Grandmaster Group, which Rouda has been invited to participate, will have nine rounds, opportunity for title norms and a prize fund of €13,000.
Please see attached images from the event.
About Norway Chess 2025:
The Norway Chess Open is held simultaneously along with the marquee Norway Chess 2025 which will see a star-studded line-up featuring world no.1 Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Gukesh D (India), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Arjun Erigaisi (India), and Wei Yi (China) among the men while the Norway Chess Women will feature Ju Wenjun (China), Lei Tingjie (China), Humpy Koneru (India), Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), Vaishali Rameshbabu (India), and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain).
Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women, feature the same format, same prize money, and take place in the same playing hall. Both tournaments follow a 6-player double round-robin format.
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UAE’s first-ever Woman Grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to play the Norway Chess Open 2025
