Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, Day 7: Triveni pull further ahead as Mumba collapse
Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings scored another vital victory today, increasing their lead to 18 Match Points. Second-placed upGrad Mumba Masters were denied a chance to close the gap by Fyers American Gambits, who handed them a crushing 16–1 defeat. Ganges Grandmasters beat Alpine SG Pipers but then lost to PBG Alaskan Knights in the last match of the day With two to three matches left to play, Triveni are close to their third consecutive final in the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. It was the second day of return matches at the Global Chess League in Mumbai. With two more days of round-robin play to go before the final, every team knows it has to push hard to reach the top two spots and keep its hopes alive in the race for the $1,000,000 prize fund. After six days and nineteen matches, Triveni were leading with five wins from seven matches, 15 Match Points and 70 Game Points. Despite a painful 12–8 loss to Alpine SG Pipers, they had bounced back in their second match of day six, edging PBG Alaskan Knights 10–9 to claim sole first place. Close behind on 12 Match Points, with one match fewer played, were upGrad Mumba Masters on 67 Game Points. Match 20: Fyers American Gambits vs upGrad Mumba Masters (16 – 1) upGrad were the first to take the stage. This was their only match of the day, their single chance to collect three Match Points and join Triveni at the top. In their first encounter this season, upGrad had edged out the Gambits 9–7 thanks to wins by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Bardiya Daneshvar. This time, while upGrad were looking to secure the lead, the Gambits had a score to settle. With the white pieces on all boards, the Gambits came out swinging. Early on, they gained the initiative on three of the six boards, including the Icon board and both Superstar boards. Like a general checking on his troops, Hikaru Nakamura stood up and walked around the stage, looking at each position to make sure his team was in control. The first to strike was Teodora Injac. The European champion from Serbia delivered a harsh blow to Harika Dronavalli in the Réti, finishing the game with a checkmate. Two quick wins followed. Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Humpy Koneru, and Vladislav Artemiev scored against Wesley So. The score shot to 9–0 for the Gambits, with a heavy defeat looming for upGrad. Some respite came for upGrad when Bardiya Daneshvar drew with Volodar Murzin, bringing his team their first Game Point. At 10–1 the match was already decided. Even if upGrad had won the remaining two games, they would still have finished one point behind the Gambits. Instead, the blows kept coming: on the Superstar board, Richard Rapport avenged his earlier loss to Mamedyarov, defeating the Azeri grandmaster in a Giuoco Piano. The last game was between the Icon players, Nakamura and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Hikaru had won their first duel with Black. This time he obtained an even more comfortable position and took control early. MVL was clearly struggling, often staring away from the board, knowing he had to keep fighting while realising his chances were slim. Nakamura stayed focused, built up a decisive advantage and reached a completely winning rook endgame. With five wins and one draw, Fyers American Gambits produced their best score of the season, 16–1 in Game Points. They denied upGrad the chance to catch Triveni and moved up to nine Match Points, closing in the middle of the table. Match 21: Ganges Grandmasters vs Alpine SG Pipers (10 – 9) This was a clash between two teams sitting in the middle of the standings, both on nine Match Points. Ganges Grandmasters have had a roller coaster campaign – crushed by Mumba twice and beaten by Triveni, but also scoring big wins over Alpine, PBG and the Gambits to climb back into contention. Their recovery has been led by Javokhir Sindarov, Polina Shuvalova and Raunak Sadhwani, while Viswanathan Anand’s results have swung sharply from day to day. Alpine SG Pipers started the league with two losses and looked in trouble, then beat Mumba and Fyers, lost heavily to PBG but defeated Triveni to return to nine Match Points. Their season has been full of streaks and drama, with Nino Batsiashvili and Leon Luke Mendonca often rescuing them from difficult situations. In their first meeting, Ganges had won 13–7. Alpine hoped to change that, but playing with the black pieces on all six boards was a serious handicap. Even so, Alpine scored first. In an Alekhine Defence, Leon Luke Mendonca took control early, pushing his pawn to d3 and tying down Raunak Sadhwani’s pieces. White never shook off the pressure, and Mendonca converted his advantage and gave the Pipers an early four Game Points. Ganges replied quickly. Stavroula Tsolakidou defeated Batsiashvili in a Giuoco Piano, handing Nino her first loss of the event. On the Icon board, Vishy Anand and Fabiano Caruana drew a balanced Ruy Lopez. Neither player was willing to take excessive risk so early in the match. As the clock ticked down on all boards, tension mounted. Ganges got a key break when Anish Giri erred in a complicated but equal position and allowed Vincent Keymer to convert. The German grandmaster took his chance and pushed Ganges into a 7–5 lead. Things were not going well for Alpine on the second Superstar board either, as Javokhir Sindarov gained an overwhelming position against Praggnanandhaa. In time trouble he missed a checkmate in two but never lost control and eventually won. That victory took the score to 10–5 and secured the match for Ganges. Hou Yifan saved some ground for the Pipers. She fought back from a lost position against Shuvalova and turned the game around, denying Ganges a win by a big margin. The final score was 10–9 in Game Points. Match 22: Fyers American Gambits vs Triveni Continental Kings (7 – 8) In their second outing of
David Antón Guijarro and Marta Garcia Martin win 2025 Spanish Championship
GM David Antón Guijarro and IM Marta García Martín have been crowned Spain’s 2025 Absolute and Women’s Chess Champions, each securing their second national title. The Spanish Chess Championship 2025, a 9-round Swiss tournament, was held the Alanda Marbella Hotel from December 11-19. While men and women competed in the same pool, final rankings were determined separately by gender. Top seed David Antón Guijarro dominated the 100-player field, which included seven Grandmasters. He made a fantastic start by winning six straight games, leaving no doubt about his overall victory. Antón secured the title with a round to spare, finishing with an impressive score of 8/9. A remarkable seven players tied for second place with 6.5/9, but GM Jaime Santos Latasa claimed the silver medal and IM Daniel Alsina Leal took bronze, both benefiting from a superior Buchholz tiebreak. Notably, all three podium finishers completed the tournament undefeated. In the women’s standings, Marta García Martín edged out WFM Inés Prado Acebo on tiebreaks after both players finished with 5.5/9, sharing first place. Last year’s champion, Sabrina Vega, secured the bronze medal with 5/9. Final standings Official website: feda.org/feda2k16/ Photos: Facebook FEDA