London [UK], October 9 : In a surprising turn of events, Mumba Masters delivered a shocking defeat to tournament leaders PBG Alaskan Knights 10-9 in their Global Chess League (GCL) season two match, disrupting their path to direct qualification for the finals.
The win revived Mumba's hopes of reaching the knockout stage themselves.
The seventh day of the GCL saw PBG, playing as Black, play against Mumba Masters, who had won only two out of seven matches so far. With three rounds left (including this one), PBG had the opportunity to secure their place in the finals. For Mumba, this was a must-win match to keep their finals hopes alive.
The opening game between the two teams ended in a narrow 8-5 victory for PBG, with just one decisive result: PBG's Nihal Sarin pulling off a crucial win against Raunak Sadhwani on the prodigy board.
Early on in the match, Mumba gained the upper hand. Sadhwani created a strong position against Sarin, and Humpy Koneru was better placed against former Women's World Champion, Tan Zhongyi. However, on the superstar board, Vidit Gujrathi was struggling with time against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, echoing their earlier encounter. Meanwhile, PBG's icon player Anish Giri could only manage to create a drawn position against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, which, considering Giri was Black, would normally be a favourable result.
The first game to conclude was a draw on the women's board, where Harika Dronavalli and Alina Kashlinskaya, both top scorers, drew. Needing to rally quickly, PBG instead found themselves in trouble.
A highly unusual position then developed on the icon board: despite Black having two pawn-runners on the queenside, the engine showed White had the advantage--provided Vachier-Lagrave could push his pawns on the kingside. In time trouble, the Frenchman - who also holds a degree in mathematics - calculated flawlessly, seizing a decisive advantage.
However, Mumba suffered a setback when Vidit lost on time, giving PBG a lead of 4-2. Still, Mumba was in control on three of the remaining four boards.
Vachier-Lagrave's victory over Giri closed the gap to 5-4. But then Mumba's Peter Svidler fell against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in time trouble, pushing PBG ahead to 9-4.
It all came down to the final two boards, where Mumba was in dominant positions. Despite pressure on the clock, both Humpy and Sadhwani converted their advantages, securing a 10-9 victory for Mumba. When Sarin resigned, the crowd at Friends House erupted in applause.
"It feels great. I am glad I could help the team. We had nothing to lose, wanting to play a good match and it worked," Sadhwani said after the match.
With this victory, Mumba Masters remain in contention for the finals, while PBG Alaskan Knights will have to wait for another chance to secure their finalist spot.