GCL: Alpine Pipers Topple Two-Time Winners Triveni Continental Kings To Clinch Maiden Crown In Mumbai

Alpine SG Pipers stunned the two-time defending champions Triveni Continental Kings to be crowned champions of the third edition of the Global Chess League on Tuesday.

The Pipers, comprising Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Praggnanandhaa, Hou Yifan, Nino Batsiashvili, and Leon Mendonca, got their hands on the title as they got the better of TCK in the third edition of the event.

The Pipers, who secured their final berth by edging out the Ganges Grandmasters by just one game point, were at their dominant best in the final. They won the first rapid match 4-2 with black pieces and followed it up with a 4.5-1.5 victory with white pieces.

PBG Alaskan Knights finished third after beating Ganges Grandmasters in a tie-break.

Triveni Continental Kings entered

the final as favourites, but the Pipers, who hit their stride in the second half of the league stage, felt the momentum was in their favour. This proved correct as Nino Batsiashvili and Leon Luke Mendonca, on the prodigy board, demonstrated their value to the team by winning their respective games.

Nino defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk in a bishop-knight endgame, while Mendonca forced Marc’Andria Maurizzi to resign after 52 moves.

Continental Kings star player Alireza Firouzja defeated Fabiano Caruana on the icon board to bring his team back into contention, but Anish Giri’s win over Wei Yi ensured the Pipers took the first match 4-2.

The Continental Kings faced an uphill task, needing to score four points with black pieces to stay alive in the match. However, R Praggnanandhaa handed the Pipers an early advantage by defeating Vidit Gujrathi, and Anish Giri then secured his second win over Wei Yi to confirm the result.

“Yesterday I had mixed feelings because I had a terrible match, but the team reached the final. Today there are no mixed feelings,” said Giri after being named Player of the Match for his two victories.

On the icon board, Caruana scored a full point against Alireza, who ran out of time.

Firouzja, who had defeated all his opponents in the first five matches, was named Male Player of the Tournament, while Hou Yifan, who played a crucial role in helping the Pipers reach the final with three wins in three matches during the league’s critical phase, was also celebrated.

“It feels great. The last two times, we were close to making the final. This time, we barely made it. But in the final, everyone brought their best game, and it is a great feeling,” said Praggnanandhaa after the title triumph.

Earlier, world champion D Gukesh managed to beat the legendary Viswanathan Anand when it mattered most to help PBG Alaskan Knights finish third.

The play-off went down to the wire as the Ganges Grandmasters took a 4-2 lead in the first rapid clash with white pieces, only for the Alaskan Knights to bounce back with white and take the match into a blitz tie-break.

Anand got the better of Gukesh in the first game of the playoff and drew the second, so it looked like the former world champion had the upper hand over the reigning world champion in this competition.

Gukesh’s teammate Arjun Erigaisi dominated Vicent Keymer on the second board in both rapid games and the first blitz tie-break, ensuring the match stayed balanced.

The Alaskan Knights capitalised on their momentum by winning the first blitz tie-break 3.5-2.5, with Arjun, Kateryna Lagno, and Sara Khadem each scoring a full point.

Under pressure to win and keep their challenge alive, Ganges Grandmasters went all-out in the second tie-break with black pieces, giving the Alaskan Knights a chance to win.

With all matches heading towards a result, Alaskan Knights led 3-2, with the match outcome dependent on the result between Anand and Gukesh.

The reigning world champion prevailed after exploiting slight inaccuracies by the veteran, winning in 49 moves to secure the third-place trophy for his team.

(With Inputs From Agencies)