NAGPUR: A day after PBG Alaskan Knights vanquished Alpine SG Pipers, the Magnus Carlsen-led outfit turned the tables on the sole leaders with a similar 9-7 margin in a rematch of the double round-robin Global Chess League in London on Monday.
In the sixth round, Carlsen's women teammates, Hou Yifan and Kateryna Lagno, played crucial roles in handing the Knights their first defeat, propelling the Pipers to joint second position alongside Triveni Kings with 12 match points. Despite the setback, the Knights maintained their sole lead with 15 match points.
In a riveting rematch between the tournament leaders and a team boasting the men's and women's World No. 1 players, Yifan and Kateryna sealed the deal for the Pipers. Women's world No. 1 Yifan exacted revenge for her fifth-round loss against her Chinese compatriot Tan Zhongyi, while Kateryna secured her maiden triumph in the league. In a gruelling 61-move encounter, Kateryna capitalised on her advantage with three additional pawns to edge out Alina Kashlinskaya.
On the icon board, Anish Giri defended well with his black pieces to hold Carlsen in a 53-move game of rook, bishop and queen endgame. Although Indian prodigy Nihal Sarin emerged victorious with the black pieces against Daniel Dardha, his efforts were not enough to prevent the Knights from succumbing to defeat.
In the day's opening match, French GM Alireza Firouzja extended his winning streak to five, leading Triveni Kings to a 10-8 triumph over Mumba Masters, marking their fourth victory in the league.
In the last tie, Vishy Anand's Ganges Grandmasters defeated Hikaru Nakamura's American Gambits 10-4. The two lower boards of the Ganges, featuring Nurgyul Salimova and Murzin Volodar, won their respective games with the white pieces to guide the team to the joint fourth position with six match points.
RESULTS (Round-6) (white named first; 3 points for white's win; 4 points for black win; one point each for a draw):
Mumba Masters vs Triveni Kings 8-10: Maxime vs Firouzja 0-4; Vidit vs Wei Yi 3-0; Svidler vs Teimour 1-1; Humpy vs Kosteniuk 0-4; Harika vs Valentina 3-0; Raunak vs Sindarov 1-1.
Alpine Pipers vs Alaskan Knights 9-7: Carlsen vs Giri 1-1; Pragg vs Abdusattorov 1-1; Rapport vs Mamedyarov 1-1; Yifan vs Zhongyi 3-0; Lagno vs Kashlinskaya 3-0; Dardha vs Nihal 0-4.
Ganges vs Gambits 10-4: Anand vs Hikaru 1-1; Arjun vs Duda 1-1; Parham vs Yangyi 1-1; Vaishali vs Bibisara 1-1; Salimova vs Elisabeth 3-0; Volodar vs Jonas 3-0.
