Alpine Pipers advanced to the Global Chess League final alongside Ganges Grandmasters after CheQ Mumba Masters defeated Fyers American Gambits 11-6 in the final league match.
Alpine Pipers secured a place in the Global Chess League (GCL) season four final at the Lalit Ashok despite suffering a 6-11 defeat to Triveni Continental Kings in their last league match. Magnus Carlsen lost to Alireza Firouzja on the top board, leaving the Pipers needing a win by CheQ Mumba Masters over Fyers American Gambits in the final league encounter to progress.
The Mumba Masters obliged by edging out the American Gambits 11-6 in a close contest. Kerala Grandmaster Nihal Sarin blundered under severe time pressure in a winning position against M. Pranesh before losing on time. A board victory by American Gambits' Javokhir Sindarov over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on the Icon board proved insufficient to change the outcome.
Alpine Pipers will take on Ganges Grandmasters for the top prize in Sunday's final. Ganges Grandmasters also dropped their final match, losing 7-9 to PBG Alaskan Knights, but finished top of the double round-robin league table on game points. Both Grandmasters and Pipers accumulated 18 points, with Grandmasters leading the standings with 95 game points compared to Pipers' 88.
Fyers American Gambits and CheQ Mumba Masters finished on 15 points each and will meet in the playoff for third place. Two-time champion Triveni Continental Kings and PBG Alaskan Knights ended their campaigns at the bottom of the table with 12 points apiece.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.