Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 7 (ANI): Defending champions Alpine APL Pipers took the top spot in the standings despite losing one of their two matches on Monday, while CheQ Mumba Masters and PBG Alaskan Knights continued their revival on day 3 of the Global Chess League (GCL), in Bengaluru, according to a press release.
Alpine APL Pipers, playing with white pieces for the first time in the competition, went down 7-9 against the PBG Alaskan Knights in the first match of the day only to bounce back with a resounding 15-3 win over FYERS American Gambits to climb to the top of the leaderboard with three match wins. In the other match of the day, Mumba Masters registered a dominant 12-3 win over Ganges Grandmasters to move up to second spot.
But the day belonged to the Pipers as they bounced back in style after the initial reversal to register the biggest victory margin of Season 4.
Vidit Gujrathi and Koneru Humpy were once again the stars for the team as they registered their third win in four matches. Vidit was clinical in dismantling Daniil Dubov despite being under time pressure, while Humpy defeated Sara Khadem in 29 moves. On the prodigy board, Volodar Murzin outplayed Marc’andria Maurizzi to make it three wins for the team.
“In the morning game it was equal but I got a time pressure. There was pressure in the second game but I am happy that I could win, ” said Player of the Match Vidit after the win.
Earlier, the main attraction of the day’s opening clash was the icon board face-off between world number one Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand. It was the Norwegian who came on top as the Indian legend lost on time in a tight bishop-pawn endgame.
But Carlsen’s win was not enough for the Pipers to avoid their first loss in the competition as both Vidit Gujrathi and Koneru Humpy, who had won their earlier two games, went down against PBG Alaskan Knights.
Player of the match Nino Batsiashvili gave the Knights their first win by beating Humpy in 44 moves, and then Vidit lost on time as 15-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus built pressure with solid positional play.
In the second match of the day, Ganges Grandmasters’ decision to play black after winning the toss backfired as CheQ Mumba Masters won three of the six games and drew the other three to register their second win in four matches.
Carrisa Yip began Mumba Masters’ march with a win over Stavroula Tsolakidou, and then Player of the Match M Pranesh kept his cool during the last-minute scramble to force the experienced Levon Aronian to resign after 65 moves.
Bardiya Daneshvar then scored three more game points for his team as Leon Luke Mendonca ran out of time on the prodigy board to take the Mumba Masters at the top of the leaderboard until the next game between FYERS American Gambits and Alpine APL Pipers. (ANI)
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