Beating reigning champions Triveni Continental Kings with a dominating 15-3 rating, the PBG Alaskan Knights began the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League‘s second season impressively. The no-increment time management of 20 minutes for the entire sport certainly helped in producing some very tense and thrilling video games on the primary day in London.
Behind the PBG Alaskan Knights, two groups are at the moment in shared second place: the American Gambits, who beat the Mumba Masters 11-6, and the Alpine Sg Pipers, who defeated the Ganges Grandmasters with the identical rating.
Day 2 begins on Friday, October 4, at 8 a.m. ET / 14:00 CEST / 5:30 p.m. IST.
Day 1 Standings
An thrilling buzz will be felt right here in London among the many organizers, gamers, and followers firstly of the International Chess League’s second season. Everybody appears to be feeling a minimum of a bit bit particular for witnessing this occasion persevering with after simply over a yr. It nonetheless feels fairly recent, whereas it’s also clearly establishing itself as a profitable new addition to the chess calendar. I used to be instructed that a number of dozen reporters have requested for press accreditation and there are journalists right here from Canada to India.
Final yr we had the inaugural season in Dubai. Some small oddities of this franchise league are nonetheless there, and the avid chess fan nonetheless would possibly want a little bit of time to get used to them. For instance, black wins are extra invaluable than white wins (4 factors vs. three, with one level for a draw), groups play with the identical colours on all boards (doable as a result of it is a double round-robin), gamers solely compete towards the identical class of participant (with “icons” on high board solely going through different icons, and ladies solely going through different ladies) and never simply the matches but additionally the video games are staggered.
As I used to be watching the gamers sit down at their boards, after a pleasant introduction directed to the native spectators by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, it was nonetheless considerably unusual to see the arbiters beginning the clocks for 2 video games, after a couple of minutes two extra video games, and after a couple of minutes extra, the final two video games. The concept is that the viewers of the published can be lacking an excessive amount of of the openings with all six video games beginning concurrently. (Test this article for extra on the particular format of this occasion.)
The printed is every little thing for this occasion, and every little thing appears directed towards it. There is a huge staff of commentators, together with GM David Howell, IMs Jovanka Houska, Tania Sachdev, and Sagar Shah, and FM James Canty. Curiously, the present is being broadcast on Kick.com, a relative newcomer to the scene after stay streaming grew to become an enormous factor on Twitch after which YouTube. A number of chess streamers, together with GM Hikaru Nakamura, are utilizing Kick as of late.
The taking part in corridor, the Mild Auditorium of Pals Home on Euston Highway, is simply beautiful. With logo-filled sponsor boards throughout the taking part in space and a big, four-sided LED display hanging centrally above, it actually does appear like the spectacle of a boxing match. I counted about twenty cameras, from high-scale PTZs to smartphones arrange on tripods. Earlier than the rounds, lights challenge a circling occasion emblem onto the chessboards – there are many little particulars like that. On this primary day, in the course of the week, about one fifth of the roughly 500 seats had been crammed up, however the coming Saturday and Sunday are offered out.
I’ve not been touring to chess tournaments as a lot as I used to, however after witnessing this primary spherical, I am glad I picked this one. An enormous cause was that the organizers graciously allowed me to current my upcoming e-book, The Chess Revolution, throughout the opening ceremony on Wednesday night (held within the lovely Service provider Taylors’ Corridor).
The ceremony additionally included speeches and a trivia quiz, after which Indian meals and drinks had been served. The gamers had been already carrying their team-specific outfits, however I seen that right here and there some staff bonding nonetheless wanted to be performed. As a result of, let’s face it: a few of these gamers, who’re taking part in for a similar staff, won’t know one another too effectively but.
American Gambits 11-6 Mumba Masters
GM Ramesh RB, a widely known coach who has labored with a lot of right now’s high Indian gamers and right here in London is the captain of the American Gambits, addressed the subject of bonding on the primary day. He famous that each one of his gamers are from completely different international locations. About his “icon” board GM Hikaru Nakamura, Ramesh mentioned: “He has been actually jelling effectively with the staff so there aren’t any angle points. The gamers are actually pleasant with one another and so they’re attempting to assist in the absolute best means.”
That optimistic angle labored effectively for the staff, whose identify is partly impressed by the Netflix sequence The Queen’s Gambit. They began with a convincing 11-6 victory over the Mumba Masters, with three board wins and one loss, alongside two attracts.
The International Chess League is clearly borrowing issues from different sports activities (and why not), and one instance is that for each match, a Man of the Match is chosen. The primary to realize this was GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who defeated GM Vidit Gujrathi with a beautiful king assault.
“To start with, I’m very glad to win my first sport ever within the International Chess League as a result of final season I didn’t handle to take action,” Duda identified. “I believe the sport was really very tense, a brand new season, a brand new venue, every little thing is new. I’m pleased with my opening selection, I’m simply glad to get off the idea, hopefully make him spend a number of time. I wasn’t positive about this sacrifice however I believed it was fairly harmful to him and I additionally didn’t see a sort of different so I made a decision to shut my eyes and go for it and see what occurs.”
I believe the sport was really very tense, a brand new season, a brand new venue, every little thing is new.
—GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda
Right here is the sport, with annotations by GM Dejan Bojkov:
Serving to his staff to a win within the opening sport, Jan-Krzysztof Duda appeared fairly glad 🙌#TheNextMove #TechMGCL #UMMvAG | @tech_mahindra | @tech_mahindra | @GM_JKDuda | @AmericanGambits | @FIDE_chess | @chesscom | @chesscom_in | @JioCinema pic.twitter.com/Lw7f22wHzA
— Tech Mahindra International Chess League (@GCLlive) October 3, 2024
GM Jonas Bjerre was the participant who determined final yr’s league in a remaining sudden-death sport, and he began the brand new season with one other spectacular win. This time, he received the board-six conflict towards GM Raunak Sadhwani:
Alpine Sg Pipers 11-6 Ganges Grandmasters
Though the ultimate rating was one other 11-6, the Alpine Sg Pipers used one other option to attain it with two wins with the black items (that is already eight factors) and three attracts, whereas shedding just one black sport. The 2 icons on this specific case had been those who performed world championship matches in 2013 and 2014 towards one another; this time the sport wasn’t a lot of a combat.
Nothing to separate the 🐐’s!#TheNextMove #TechMGCL #GGvSG@GangesGMs | @AlpineSGPipers | @MagnusCarlsen | @vishy64theking pic.twitter.com/c23ORg3zev
— Tech Mahindra International Chess League (@GCLlive) October 3, 2024
Right here, it was GM Richard Rapport who was the Man of the Match for the Pipers because of his win towards GM Parham Maghsoodloo, who performed a superb sport however sooner or later blundered materials:
GM Hou Yifan is not taking part in a lot chess anymore, however clearly she continues to be a pressure to reckon with. She additionally performed in season one and it is good to have her again. Right this moment, the previous ladies’s world champion was too robust for GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, however solely after surviving a scare within the opening:
PBG Alaskan Knights 15-3 Triveni Continental Kings
The PBG Alaskan Knights was the one staff that maintained a completely undefeated standing with three black wins and three attracts. For some time, even an 18-2 rating was on the playing cards as GM Anish Giri had a successful place towards GM Alireza Firouzja.
Giri’s thirty sixth transfer was too good to not present right here, even when it did not result in a win:
Azerbaijani GMs Teimour Radjabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov are good associates, and the big quantity of mutual attracts of their profession wasn’t precisely a coincidence. However right now, taking part in for various groups, they needed to go for it and it was Mamedyarov who got here out on high. “In classical I’m positive he can discover a good protection however on this time management he missed some strikes and within the middlegame I bought a successful place,” he mentioned.
When discussing Chess is your favorite factor 😂#TheNextMove #TechMGCL | @FIDE_chess | @balanalaskank | @trivenickings | @chesscom | @chesscom_in | @anishgiri pic.twitter.com/V5SQp4qKwg
— Tech Mahindra International Chess League (@GCLlive) October 3, 2024
The way to watch?
You possibly can watch the occasion on Kick. Video games from the occasion will be seen on our events page.
The Tech Mahindra International Chess League 2024 consists of a preliminary group stage and a remaining contested by the highest two groups. In every match, members of the identical staff play with the identical coloration. All video games have a 20-minute time management with out increment.
Earlier report:
