Alpine SG Pipers Surge in Global Chess League with Consecutive Wins

Alpine SG Pipers Make Their Mark

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 17: The Alpine SG Pipers have made a significant impact in the Global Chess League (GCL) by securing their second consecutive victory, as reported in a recent announcement.

Both the UpGrad Mumba Masters and the reigning champions, Triveni Continental Kings, also achieved convincing victories, solidifying their positions in the league, which is a collaborative effort between Tech Mahindra and FIDE.

In their latest match, the Pipers triumphed over the Fyers American Gambits with a score of 10-4. Meanwhile, the UpGrad Mumba Masters dominated the PBG Alaskan Knights with an impressive 18-2 victory, and the Triveni Continental Kings overcame the Ganges Grandmasters with an 11-6 win at the Royal Opera House.

Following Matchday 4, both the Mumba Masters and Triveni Continental Kings have accumulated nine match points, but the Mumba Masters lead the standings with 51 game points, compared to the 43 points of the defending champions.

In the opening match of Matchday 4, the Alpine SG Pipers opted to play with white pieces after winning the toss for the second consecutive time, aiming to build on their previous victory against the overnight leaders, the UpGrad Mumbai Masters.

The competition was fierce among the top four boards, but Mendonca stood out with a remarkable performance, defeating World Rapid Champion Volodar Murzin on the prodigy board, giving his team an early advantage.

Choosing a Closed Catalan, the Goa-based GM executed a bishop sacrifice on the 18th move, maintaining pressure until his Russian opponent ran out of time on move 46.

In the women's match, Nino faced Injac Teodara and was under considerable pressure for much of the 61-move game. However, she managed to turn the tide with three advancing pawns, forcing Teodara to resign and briefly placing her team at the top of the standings.

Nina, who has now won three out of four matches, remarked, "I played all in and pushed my pawn, and at some point, I had a chance to win."

Later, the UpGrad Mumba Masters secured their position at the top of the leaderboard with victories from Koneru Humpy and D Harika against the PBG Alaskan Knights.

Humpy faced a challenging game against Kateryna Lagno but capitalized on her opponent's error after a queen sacrifice, leading to Lagno's resignation after 33 moves.

On the adjacent board, Player of the Match Harika triumphed over Sara Khadem in 43 moves, while Alaskan Knights' Arjun Erigasi lost to Wesley So after running out of time.

World champion D Gukesh's quest for a win continued as he was held to a draw by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in 31 moves. Bardiya Daneshvar rounded off the Mumba Masters' tally with a victory over Daniel Dardha.

In the final match of the day, the Triveni Continental Kings defeated the Ganges Grandmasters 11-6, with Alireza Firouzja overcoming Viswanathan Anand in the icon clash, and GM Wei Yi besting Vincent Keymer on the second board.

2024 World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov managed to secure four game points for the Ganges Grandmasters by defeating Vidit Gujarathi with black pieces, but it wasn't enough to salvage the match for his team.

The action continues on Matchday 5, featuring the UpGrad Mumba Masters against the Triveni Continental Kings, the Alpine SG Pipers facing the PBG Alaskan Knights, and the Ganges Grandmasters meeting the Fyers American Gambits.