New Delhi, Dec 20: World Champion D Gukesh avenged his earlier loss against Alireza Firouzja in the Global Chess League (GCL) 2025, but defending champions Triveni Continental Kings had to rely on crucial wins to stay on top of the leaderboard after match day 6.
The Kings narrowly defeated PBG Alaskan Knights 10-9, while upGrad Mumba Masters maintained pressure on the leaders with an 11-6 victory over Ganges Grandmasters.
Entering the second leg of the group stage, Triveni had a chance to extend their lead, playing two matches in a single day. However, they suffered an earlier setback against Alpine SG Pipers when Alireza Firouzja lost to Fabiano Caruana. The team needed a win against the Alaskan Knights to maintain their advantage over Mumba Masters, who had briefly topped the table.
The Continental Kings opened a six-point lead with victories from Alexandra Kosteniuk over Sara Khadem and Wei Yi against Arjun Erigaisi. The Knights fought back as Kateryna Lagno scored four points against Zhu Jiner, narrowing the gap.
Gukesh, playing with black, leveraged his time advantage in a rook-pawn endgame to beat Firouzja, handing the Malaysian star his second loss of the day. However, it was Vidit Gujarathi who sealed the match for Triveni by defeating Leinier Dominguez in 39 moves, ensuring his team retained 15 match points. Vidit, named Player of the Match, said, “It’s a relief… I was very upset after the first game, and I am really happy my win counted for the team.”
Earlier, Wesley So, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Koneru Humpy helped Mumba Masters secure their win over Ganges Grandmasters. On the icon board, Viswanathan Anand exerted pressure on Maxime Vachier-Lagrave but could not convert with black.
In another match, PBG Alaskan Knights defeated Fyers American Gambits 9-7, with notable performances by Arjun Erigaisi and Sara Khadem.