Hou Yifan powers Alpine SG Pipers into Global Chess League contention

Hou Yifan’s two wins with black pieces lifted Alpine SG Pipers to second spot in the Global Chess League. Defending champions Continental Kings sealed a final berth, while Mumba Masters and Ganges Grandmasters face uphill battles to stay in contention

Hyderabad: Three-time women’s world champion Hou Yifan won both her games on Saturday with black pieces to help Alpine SG Pipers register two victories on the penultimate day of the league stage and jump to second spot in the Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, in Mumbai on Sunday.

Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings sealed their third consecutive final berth with a 14-5 win over Ganges Grandmasters to reach 21 match points with seven wins from nine matches. Alpine SG Pipers beat upGrad Mumba Masters and Fyers American Gambits by identical 8-7 scorelines with black to reach 15 match points.

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First edition finalists Mumba Masters’ hopes of making the finals suffered a major setback as they lost both their matches on Sunday.

The home favourites, who were outplayed 16-1 by American Gambits on Saturday, had to beat PBG Alaskan Knights in the last game of the day on Sunday to regain the second spot as they were on 12 points with two matches to play. However, they went down 8-10 despite Maxime Vachier-Lagrave beating world champion D Gukesh on the icon board.

Player of the Match Leinier Dominguez defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on the third board and Sara Khadem upset D Harika by forcing the Indian to resign after 65 moves.

With the second final spot up for grabs, Mumba Masters will have to beat Continental Kings and hope that PBG Alaskan Knights can stop the winning run of Alpine SG Pipers.

Ganges Grandmasters also have an outside chance to make the cut but for that to happen they will have to register a huge win over American Gambits and hope that the other contenders lose.

When action began on Sunday, the Pipers were in fifth spot and needed to win both their matches to entertain any hope of making it to the final. Hou Yifan delivered for the team when it mattered the most.

Yifan first defeated Koneru Humpy of Mumba Masters and then inflicted the tournament’s first loss on Bibisara Assaubayeva of American Gambits to win Player of the Match award in both matches.

Against Bibisara, the Chinese GM spent almost six minutes before blitzing to a pawn-king endgame, which proved enough for her team.

In both matches, Alpine SG Pipers lost the game on the prodigy board but Yifan’s advantage of winning with black proved critical since a win with black pieces gives a team four game points while a win with white is worth only three.