The recently turned 19-year-old Danish GM Jonas Buhl Bjerre was the hero of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2023 Finals. After three draws in the sudden-death matches, he checkmated Javokhir Sindarov (uMM) to etch Triveni Continental Kings as the winners of the inaugural edition. Before this game, Jonas had lost four times against Sindarov. It was not that he was playing bad. Even in the qualifier stage, he had many great positions, but he simply could not convert them. What's important is that the teenager won when it mattered the most. IM Sara Khadem (TCK) was applauded as well. She defended an inferior position against GM Harika Dronavalli (uMM) in the first sudden-death encounter. Triveni Continental Kings made a fantastic comeback from the bottom of the table to win the title. Did you enjoy the tournament and want a second edition? | Photo: Maria Emelianova
Levon Aronian has beaten Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi in three consecutive must-win situations. Today he defeated Carlsen and Nepo in consecutive games. While the World no.1 allowed the two-time World Cup winner to score a quick 27-move victory, against Nepo he had to grind in the endgame and wait till the former world championship contender blundered. Triveni Continental Kings are now tied with Ganges Grandmasters on 15/27 points. SG Alpine Warriors also have the same match points. However, they still have two matches left. On an eventful day, upGrad Mumba Masters defeated GG 3-0 (10-4) without losing a single game. The last four matches of the double round-robin stage start tomorrow with SG Alpine Warriors vs Chingari Gulf Titans from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. | Photo: Maria Emelianova
The final day of the double round-robin stage started with SG Alpine Warrior's loss against Chingari Gulf Titans 0-3 (7-8). Magnus Carlsen won the sole game for his team as he beat Jan-Krzysztof Duda. However, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's win over Gukesh gave CGT a crucial victory as all the remaining games ended in draws. Then, Triveni Continental Kings eliminated Ganges Grandmasters by beating them 3-0 (11-6). Wei Yi, Sara Khadem and Jonas Buhl Bjerre scored key wins, which helped the team (TCK) secure a spot in the Finals. SG Alpine Warriors suffered a shockingly huge defeat by 0-3 (2-18) against upGrad Mumba Masters. Alexander Grischuk, Vidit Gujrathi, Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli's wins prompted the top seed and tournament favourite SGAW's elimination. In the last match of the stage, Chingari Gulf Titans went down in flames against Balan Alaskan Knights 0-3 (4-12). Thus, TCK will face uMM tomorrow in Sunday's finals, from 5:30 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. IST. | Ph
Levon Aronian has beaten Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi in three consecutive must-win situations. Today he defeated Carlsen and Nepo in consecutive games. While the World no.1 allowed the two-time World Cup winner to score a quick 27-move victory, against Nepo he had to grind in the endgame and wait till the former world championship contender blundered. Triveni Continental Kings are now tied with Ganges Grandmasters on 15/27 points. SG Alpine Warriors also have the same match points. However, they still have two matches left. On an eventful day, upGrad Mumba Masters defeated GG 3-0 (10-4) without losing a single game. The last four matches of the double round-robin stage start tomorrow with SG Alpine Warriors vs Chingari Gulf Titans from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. | Photo: Maria Emelianova
One might expect relatively quiet rounds after a day full of excitement. Well, that just does not happen at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. In the first match, five out of six games ended decisively. Levon Aronian, Wei Yi and Sara Khadem scored crucial wins for their team, Triveni Continental Kings. Their 3-0 (10-9) victory over Chingari Gulf Titans ensured the team still has mathematical chances to win the event. Andrey Esipenko scored the crucial win for his team, Ganges Grandmasters. Thus, GG are once again atop the standings with 15/24. Tomorrow will be the penultimate day of the double round-robin stage. There will be four matches starting from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. | Photo: Maria Emelianova