News DeskLondon, UK – The highly anticipated second season of the Global Chess League began in spectacular fashion at Friends House in London, with fans witnessing high-stakes matches and remarkable performances from some of the world’s top players. The opening day saw the American Gambits and Alpine SG Pipers claim dominant victories, setting the stage for an electrifying tournament.
In the first match, the American Gambits triumphed over last season’s runner-up, the upGrad Mumba Masters, with an impressive 11:6 score. Led by world number two Hikaru Nakamura, the Gambits showed exceptional form, winning three match points. Although Nakamura admitted his game against France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was “shaky,” he expressed optimism about his team’s chemistry and future performances, remarking, “As the event goes on, we’ll build more chemistry… today we played really well.”
The standout moment for the Gambits came from 26-year-old Polish grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who delivered a brilliant checkmate against Vidit Santhosh Gujrathi, earning the title of Player of the Match. Other key results included Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva defeating Indian star Humpy Koneru, while Harika Dronavalli secured a win for the Mumba Masters by overcoming German grandmaster Elisabeth Paehtz. Jonas Buhl Bjerre sealed the Gambits’ victory by defeating Raunak Sadhwani.
In the day’s second match, the Alpine SG Pipers also claimed an 11:6 win over the Ganges Grandmasters. The much-anticipated clash between two legends of the game, Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen, ended in a draw. Meanwhile, Richard Rapport’s stunning comeback against Iranian grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo earned him Player of the Match honors, while former women’s World Champion Hou Yifan secured a win against Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Ganges Grandmasters found some solace in International Master Nurgyul Salimova’s win over Kateryna Lagno, while the junior board match between Volodar Murzin and Daniel Dardha concluded in a draw.
With both the American Gambits and Alpine SG Pipers establishing themselves as early frontrunners, the Global Chess League is off to a thrilling start, promising fierce competition and captivating matches ahead.
The third match between PBG Alaskan Knights and Triveni Continental Kings is currently underway.
