PBG Alaskan Knights narrowly defeated Alpine SG Pipers with a 9-7 score to continue their unbeaten run at the Global Chess League here.
Alaskan Knights won all their five of encounters after 15 matches, the halfway stage of the tournament.
Despite the team’s top player, Anish Giri blundering a piece and losing to Magnus Carlsen in just 20 minutes, the Alaskan Knights came out on top garnering 58 game points.
Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings climbed to second place after defeating the upGrad Mumba Masters.
Continental Kings’ icon, Alireza Firouzja, continued his winning streak by defeating France’s top-rated player, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Though just three game points behind the leaders, Triveni Continental Kings has recorded three wins and two losses, earning nine match points and 55 game points. Meanwhile, the upGrad Mumba Masters sit in the fifth place with only three match points.
An epic encounter between Carlsen and Nakamura highlighted the final match of the day between the Alpine SG Pipers and the American Gambits.
Both the players traded winning positions in a time scramble, and the duel ultimately ended in a draw.
The match came down to the youth board, where Daniel Darda defeated Jonas Bjerre, securing a narrow 9-7 victory for the Alpine SG Pipers, which placed them in third place with nine match points and 43 game points.
With one win and one loss in Sunday’s matches, the American Gambits hold fourth place with six match points and 33 game points.
At the bottom of the standings, the Ganges Grandmasters continue to struggle, having lost their match on Sunday against American Gambits.
Former world champion Vishwanathan Anand lost to World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura after sacrificing a queen for a drawing fortress, only to lose on time.
Fritz and Dimitrov finally advance at rain-soaked Shanghai Masters
Shanghai,(AP) Two days after starting, seventh-ranked Taylor Fritz and 10th-ranked Grigor Dimitrov finally got to complete their second-round matches at the Shanghai Masters on Monday.
Fritz, the U.S. Open finalist, had led 4-3 in the opening set against Frenchman Terence Atmane when rain suspended play on Saturday at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, and then washed out all matches on the outside courts until Monday.
The 26-year-old American needed two tiebreakers to see off the No. 161-ranked Atmane 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), with only one break of serve for each in the 122-minute match. Fritz will play Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in the third round.
Dimitrov, playing in his 100th Masters event, resumed Monday with a set lead but down a break in the second against Zizou Bergs.
The No.73-ranked Belgian converted his advantage to take the second set before Dimitrov responded by breaking Bergs three times - for the loss of one of his own service games, to clinch the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
The 33-year-old Bulgarian will play Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
Also, U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe routed Zhou Yi of China 6-2, 6-4, while Tallon Griekspoor beat the 26th-seeded Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-2 and Roman Safiullin had a 6-4, 6-2 win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.
Later Monday, No. 16-ranked Ben Shelton plays Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain in a third- round match, with the winner to meet top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the 4th.
Wuhan OpenNo. 12-ranked Beatriz Haddad-Maia beat Madison Keys of the U.S. 7-6 (7), 6-2 in the opening match of the Wuhan Open.
The Brazilian, winner of the Seoul Open last month for her fourth career title, converted five of her eight break point opportunities - to Keys’ three from 12 - as she advanced in 128 minutes at the tournament in China.
One-time U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada rallied to beat 12th-seeded Diana Shnaider 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-3.
Rain in Wuhan meant play on the outside courts was suspended.
The top eight seeds, including second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and China Open champion Coco Gauff, received a first-round bye.
