Global Chess League: Gulf Titans stun Ganges Grandmasters; Mumba Masters score an important win

Dubai, June 27 (IANS) Chingari Gulf Titans caused a big upset by stunning table-toppers Ganges Grandmasters 9:7 while upGrad Mumbai Masters won a crucial match as the Global Chess League delivered another round of gripping clashes here on Tuesday.

Despite the defeat, Ganges Grandmasters continue to lead in the Global Chess League, while upGrad Mumba Masters moved one place up and are now third.

The Chingari Gulf Titans clashed with the Ganges Grandmasters in their second encounter of the Global Chess League round-robin. In the previous match, the Ganges Grandmasters had played as white and emerged victorious after winning the coin toss. This time, it was their turn to play with the black pieces.

The Ganges Grandmasters entered the match as the slight favourites -– they confidently won the first duel with the Titans with a 10:4 score and have also dominated the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. In contrast, the Titans were struggling and under pressure to climb up the standings from the bottom of the table.

As both sides pushed hard, the games led to complicated positions on each board.

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 afterward 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 Grandmasters gave his team some respite when he beat icon player and board one Jan-Kryzsztof Duda, but that wasn’t enough for victory. Despite her efforts, former World Champion Hou Yifan of Ganges Grandmasters was not successful in defeating Alexandra Kosteniuk, the game ended with a draw.

The Titans thus scored a crucial victory that lifted them from the bottom of the scoreboard. Despite the loss, the Ganges Grandmasters retained their lead.

In another intense battle, the upGrad Mumba Masters emerged victorious against the Triveni Continental Kings, securing wins on the final two boards for a 10:4 triumph.

In their previous encounter with the Kings, the upGrad Mumba Masters emerged victorious while playing with the black pieces. This time, they played as White. Despite starting the Global Chess 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 Triveni Continental Kings have encountered difficulties in the event. Although composed of exceptional players and guided by the well-known GM Loek van Wely, the team has experienced setbacks. 

Before this match, it was revealed that Nana Dzagnidze had withdrawn from the tournament due to personal reasons and would not be returning for the rest of this edition of the Global Chess League. Stepping in to fill her shoes is another formidable player, Sara Khadem — one of the world's top female players.

In the match on Tuesday, both sides were evenly matched for the most time in the match. The only one to gain more initiative from the outset was upGrad Mumba 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 Mumba teammate Harika Dronavalli was completely winning against Khadem. 

In the meantime, team Mumba got another strong pin – as Alexander Grischuk was winning against Triveni’s Yu Yangyi. However, it wasn’t a walk in the park: 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.

As tension mounted across the boards, team leaders and icon players Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian decided to settle for a draw. Shortly after that, 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: Harika Dronavalli defeated Sara Khadem. In an unfortunate turn for the Kings, Jonas Bjerre misplayed his position, allowing Sindarov to seize the advantage and secure a win.

Match results: 

Chingari Gulf Titans 9-7 Ganges Grandmasters 
Queen of the match – Polina Shuvalova
King of the match – Daniil Dubov

upGrad Mumba Masters 10-4 Triveni Continental Kings
Queen of the match – Harika Dronavalli
King of the match – Javokhir Sindarov

--IANS

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