London [UK], October 5 : The third day of the Global Chess League kicked off with a clash between the tournament leaders, the PBS Alaskan Knights, and the struggling Ganges Grandmasters, who had yet to secure a single victory.
As the weekend drew in more spectators, the Friends House in London was buzzing, while many fans outside the arena followed the action on their phones.
The Knights had ended day two on a high, toppling upGrad Mumba Masters to take the lead. In stark contrast, the Ganges Grandmasters had suffered crushing defeats in their first two matches, making this a must-win for them to turn the tide.
The coin toss gave the Alaskan Knights the white pieces, with 20 minutes per player on the clock--there are just 40 minutes for the entire match. Early on, it was clear this was going to be a tense fight. Half an hour in, and with just 10 minutes left, not a single game had been decided.
Momentum briefly seemed to shift towards the Ganges, as computer evaluations favoured them on several boards. But with time ticking down, the Knights got an edge on the lower boards.
The first game to wrap up was on the superstars' board, where Arjun Erigaisi, playing Black, missed a winning opportunity against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, allowing the game to end in a draw--a frustrating outcome for Ganges.
In the clash between Icon players Viswanathan Anand and Anish Giri, the former world champion built a powerful position, but Giri managed to complicate matters, forcing Anand into time trouble.
The legendary Indian GM couldn't convert his advantage, and this game, too, fizzled out into a draw. It was a rocky start for Ganges, but things quickly got worse.
The first blow came on the women's board, where Alina Kashlinskaya scored a crucial win for the Alaskan Knights, putting them ahead. Ganges pinned their hopes on Parham Maghsoodloo, who was dominating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. But disaster struck: in the final seconds, Maghsoodloo blundered into a winning position, gifting the full point to Mamedyarov.
Tan Zhongyi followed up with a win over Nurgyul Salimova on the second women's board, extending the Knights' lead. With the match already decided, Nihal Sarin calmly held a draw against Volodar Murzin on the juniors' board, sealing a comprehensive 12-3 victory for the Alaskan Knights.
With four straight wins, PBS Alaskan Knights are soaring at the top, while Ganges Grandmasters languish in last place, with just 14 game points and no match wins.
The day continued with three more matches, but for Ganges, the uphill battle to turn their tournament around just got steeper.