Ganges Grandmasters suffered their third defeat in the ongoing Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL) as Viswanathan Anand and Arjun Erigaisi could manage only draws, losing 3-12 to PBS Alaskan Knights on the third day of the GCL in Friends House, London on Saturday.
The Knights had ended day two on a high, defeating Mumba Masters to take the lead, while the Ganges Grandmasters had suffered crushing defeats in their first two matches.
The coin toss gave the Alaskan Knights the white pieces, with 20 minutes per player on the clock—there are just 40 minutes for the entire match.
In the beginning Ganges were on the winning side, as computer evaluations favoured them on several boards. But with time ticking down, the Knights got an edge on the lower boards.
The first game to conclude was on the superstars' board, where Arjun Erigaisi, playing with black pieces, missed a winning opportunity against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, resulting in a draw—a frustrating outcome for Ganges.
In the clash between iconic players Anand and Anish Giri, the former world champion built a strong position, but Giri complicated matters, putting Anand into time trouble.
The legendary Indian GM couldn't convert his advantage, and this game also ended in a draw.
Things quickly worsened for Ganges. The first blow came on the women’s board, where Alina Kashlinskaya secured a crucial win for the Alaskan Knights, putting them ahead.
Ganges pinned their hopes on Parham Maghsoodloo, who was dominating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
However, Maghsoodloo lost to Mamedyarov.
Tan Zhongyi followed up with a win over Nurgyul Salimova on the second women’s board, extending the Knight’s with a lead.
With the match already decided, Nihal Sarin held a draw against Volodar Murzin on the juniors' board, sealing a comprehensive 12-3 victory for the Alaskan Knights.
With four straight wins, PBS Alaskan Knights are soaring at the top, while Ganges Grandmasters languish in last place with just 14 game points and no match wins.
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