Global Chess League Day 7: Ganges Crush Mumba as Alpine Defeat FYERS
The Global Chess League Season 4 entered its decisive stage on Day 7 as the battle for the final became a two-team race.
Ganges Grandmasters produced the biggest victory of the tournament, crushing the CheQ Mumba Masters 16-1, while the Alpine APL Pipers defeated FYERS American Gambits 9-7 in a crucial battle between two of the three teams that had been tied at the top.
Triveni Continental Kings also defeated the PBG Alaskan Knights 13-7.
Ganges Produce a 16-1 Masterclass
The biggest story of the day came from the Ganges Grandmasters.
They demolished CheQ Mumba Masters 16-1, winning five games and drawing one.
It was the largest margin recorded in the tournament.
Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, while Levon Aronian, Leinier Dominguez Perez and the Ganges women also contributed victories.
The result was enormous for Ganges because it did more than give them another match victory.
It dramatically improved their game-point total.
Ganges moved into first place with 18 match points and a substantial game-point advantage.
Alpine Win the Big One
The day's second major match was Alpine APL Pipers against FYERS American Gambits.
Both teams entered the match on 15 match points.
There was no room for mistakes.
Alpine eventually won 9-7.
Magnus Carlsen defeated Javokhir Sindarov on the Icon board, giving the world number one an important victory over one of the tournament's most in-form players.
But one of the most memorable moments came after the match.
Vidit Gujrathi defeated Daniil Dubov in the final game to secure the team victory.
Carlsen received the Player of the Match trophy but then handed it to Vidit, saying that Vidit deserved it because his victory had secured the match for Alpine.
It was one of the most memorable gestures of the tournament.
Triveni Finish Strong
The Triveni Continental Kings continued their late tournament revival with a 13-7 victory over the PBG Alaskan Knights.
Arjun Erigaisi and Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş scored victories for the Knights, but Triveni dominated the remaining boards.
Zhu Jiner, Alexandra Kosteniuk and Pranav Venkatesh were among the players who delivered crucial wins for the Continental Kings.
After a disastrous opening to the tournament, Triveni had at least managed to turn their campaign around in the second half.
The Table After Day 7
The results left Ganges and Alpine tied on 18 match points, with Ganges ahead on game points. FYERS remained third on 15 match points. That meant the situation going into the final round was simple but extremely tense.
Ganges and Alpine would qualify for the final if they won their last matches. FYERS needed one of the two leaders to lose and also needed to beat Mumba convincingly. The final round was therefore still capable of producing a dramatic twist.
Day 7 gave the Global Chess League its first clear picture of the final. Ganges had the advantage while Alpine had the experience of defending champions. Meanwhile, FYERS were still waiting for a miracle. And with only one round remaining, the tournament had reached its most exciting point yet.
The final question was - Which two teams would survive?
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