Sports
Titans and Masters fight back on Day 6 in Global Chess League
Published
1 year agoon
![](http://headline.ae/wp-content/uploads/Day6-image-1.jpeg)
Ganges Grandmasters’ Hou Yifan, left, was held to a draw by Alexandra Kosteniuk of Chingari Gulf Titans at Le Meridien, Dubai. Courtesy GCL
Chingari Gulf Titans bounced back in timely fashion by upsetting the applecart of Ganges Grandmasters in the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League on Tuesday.
On Day 6 of the tournament, the Titans started in fifth position as they took on the leaders and came out 9-7 winners. Also coming up with an improved performance were the upGrad Mumba Masters who moved up a spot on the table after beating Triveni Continental Kings in the last match of the day. Titans, who briefly occupied third place, moved down to make way for the Masters.
In the previous match, the Ganges Grandmasters had played as white and emerged victorious 10:4 after winning the coin toss. This time, it was their turn to play with the black pieces.
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. Despite her efforts, former world champion Hou Yifan of Ganges was not successful in defeating Alexandra Kosteniuk. The game ended with a draw.
— Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (@GCLlive) June 27, 2023
upGrad Mumba Masters vs Triveni Continental Kings
In their previous encounter with the Kings, the Mumba Masters emerged victorious while playing with the black pieces. This time, they played as White. Despite starting the league with a win, the Mumba Masters have faced a challenging journey so far – currently standing on 50%, with two victories, two losses, and one draw.
On the other hand, the Kings are having a treacherous run ever since the jinxed start when Levon Aronian had to step in for current world champion Ding Liren as the icon player. Although composed of exceptional players and guided by the well-known GM Loek van Wely, the team has experienced setbacks.
Early morning on Tuesday, it was revealed that Nana Dzagnidze had withdrawn from the tournament due to personal health reasons and would not be returning for the rest of tournament. Stepping in to fill her shoes is another formidable player, Sara Khadem—one of the world’s top female players.
Both sides were evenly matched for most part of the contest. The only one to gain more initiative from the outset was Masters’ Harika Dronavalli who 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 colleague Harika Dronavalli (Fide standard rating 2510) was completely winning against Khadem (Fide rating 2488). In the meantime, team Mumba got another strong pin – as Alexander Grischuk was winning against Triveni’s Yu Yangyi. However, Triveni’s Yu Yangyi is a great defender and as he was better on time, he soon managed to unsettle Grischuk as the famed Russian player threw away his advantage.
Team leaders Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian settled for a draw as tensions mount. Shortly after, Vidit Gurjathi and Wei Yi also agreed to a draw, bringing a sense of calm to the match. Grischuk lost momentum and had to accept a draw against Grandmaster Yu.
The fate of the match hinged on the final two boards: Dronavalli defeated Khadem. In an unfortunate turn for the Kings, Jonas Bjerre misplayed his position, allowing Sindarov to seize the advantage and secure a win. Kings are now at the bottom of the table.
Event
Top Women Chess Players Take Centre Stage in 2024 Global Chess League Draft
Published
3 weeks agoon
August 15, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, is all set for the second season as 30 of the world’s best chess players were handpicked by six franchises during the Player Draft held on Sunday in New Delhi.
Following the huge success of the inaugural edition in Dubai last year, the second season is scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London. All six teams – Alpine SG Pipers, Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters, PBG Alaskan Knights, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, and the debutants American Gambits– engaged in a thrilling bidding process to assemble strong squads for the second season of the league.
With 1000 points allocated to use during the bidding process, each franchise filled their quota of two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player, in addition to the Icons announced last month.
The stellar line-up of Icon players include Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters) Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings), and debutants Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits) and Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights).
The proceedings began with Richard Rapport getting drafted into Alpine SG Pipers, who completed their quota of Superstar Men after retaining the services of Praggnanandhaa R. American Gambits then completed their Superstar Men slots by picking Vladislav Artemiev and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo were drafted to Ganges Grandmasters, while PBG Alaskan Knights acquired Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and retained Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Triveni Continental Kings picked up Wei Yi and Teimour Radjabov.
Arjun Erigaisi, who recently broke into top five in World Rankings, expressed, “The player draft was absolutely thrilling and I am happy to turn up for the Ganges Grandmasters. They have picked versatile players and I look forward to a fantastic event in London.”
The Superstar Women dominated the Player Draft as franchises used significant amount of points from their purse to acquire their services. Apart from retaining Yan Zhongyi, PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Alina Kashlinskaya. Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova were drafted by Ganges Grandmasters, while Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina were acquired by Triveni Continental Kings. American Gambits filled in their quota of Superstar Women with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Elisabeth Paehtz, while Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli were retained by Mumba Masters.
Four-time Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan said, “Firstly, I am happy to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. The opening season in Dubai created a lot of buzz in the chess world and this time, I am happy to be part of the Alpine SG in this edition.”
PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Nihal Sarin, while Mumba Masters used their remaining purse to acquire Raunak Sadhwani. Daniel Dardha went to Alpine SG Pipers, Volodar Murzin to Ganges Grandmasters, Javokhir Sindarov to defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Jonas Buhl Bjerre to American Gambits.
Expressing excitement on joining PBG Alaskan Knights, star prodigy Nihal Sarin, said, “For someone my age, coming up the ranks in this sport, I am super thrilled to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. I am looking forward to learn from the stalwarts playing in this season and I am happy to be part of PBG Alaskan Knights this season.”
Upon the successful completion of the player draft for this second season, Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We had an action-packed day at the players draft. All six franchises have put together strong and equal teams, and with the second season taking place in London, it is poised to be bigger and more exciting. Best wishes to all the players and franchises, we are eagerly anticipating a cracking extravaganza in October.
In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbeck, Arjun named among Superstar Men for Tech Mahindra Global Chess League Season 2
Published
1 month agoon
August 2, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced its star-studded list of men players for the second season, scheduled to be held from 3rd to 12th October at Friends House in London.
Joining the ranks of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Viswanathan Anand in the second season are returning Superstars, including World No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi, World No. 6 Nodirbek Abdusattorov, World No. 8 Praggnanandhaa R, and World No. 10 Wei Yi. Praggnanandhaa R, who stole the limelight in the prodigy round of the first season and was awarded Player of the Tournament for his exceptional performance, will compete in the Superstar men’s category.
Making the competition even more compelling, Vidit Gujrathi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Richárd Rapport, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Teimour Radjabov, Alexander Grischuk, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Vladislav Artemiev will also be a part of the 12-member list of Superstar men players for the second season.
Sameer Pathak, CEO of the Global Chess League, said, “We are delighted to announce the list of Superstar men players for the upcoming season. These elite players are poised to deliver thrilling and unforgettable games for their teams in the league’s innovative format that incentivizes risk-taking. We are confident that these players will deliver a remarkable chess spectacle in London.”
The first-of-its-kind franchise-based league features a total of six teams consisting of six players – one Icon player, two Superstar male players, two Superstar female players, and one prodigy in each team. In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Top Women Stars Wenjun, Koneru, Vaishali to Shine in Global Chess League Season 2
Published
1 month agoon
July 31, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced the list of women Superstars who will be competing in the second season scheduled from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London.
In the second season, the reigning FIDE World Champion, Ju Wenjun, will be making her debut. She will be joined by World No. 1, Hou Yifan, who is returning to the premier annual chess event, alongside Indian chess Superstars Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. The line-up also includes some of the biggest names in women’s chess, such as Kateryna Lagno, Gunina Valentina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Tan Zhongyi, and Nurgyul Salimova.
In addition, the upcoming season of the Global Chess League will feature Vaishali Rambabu, the latest Indian woman to achieve Grandmaster rank, alongside her brother Praggnanandhaa. This makes them the first brother-sister duo to participate in the league. The roster of women Superstars also includes Alina Kashlinskaya, the 2019 European Women’s Individual Chess Champion, and Bibisara Assaubayeva, former World Blitz Champion.
World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun, said, “I followed the first season of the Global Chess League and it was very exciting to watch the unique format. The tremendous response from fans and the chess fraternity made it even more special. I am eagerly looking forward to the second season in London, where I can once again immerse myself in this wonderful experience.”
Making her debut in the second season, Grandmaster Vaishali R, added, “The world of chess has long sought a worldwide sports event that places male and female players on the same pedestal. The Global Chess League is bridging this gap and truly bringing chess as a visual spectacle to television screens across the world. I am delighted to be a part of the league this year and am looking forward to competing in front of fans in London.”
Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “The roster of women Superstars in the Global Chess League is truly exciting. These champion players will deliver intense and inspiring games for their teams. Our unique format, which brings together men, women, and prodigy players on the same teams, is a game-changer in professional sports. We are confident that the fans will be captivated by the intense matches in the second season.”
Adding to the excitement, the unique joint team format of the league will be aired on major OTT and broadcast platforms worldwide, heightening the anticipation among fans.