BENGALURU: AMERICAN Gambits got off to the perfect start on the opening day of the Global Chess League (GCL) as they did the double to move to six points. After opening the fourth edition of the league -- one of the highlights of the first round was Javokhir Sindarov beating Viswanathan Anand -- by getting the better of PBG Alaskan Knights, they completed the proceedings on Saturday by completing a comprehensive win over Triveni Continental Kings, tournament winners twice in the three previous editions.
In a bigger and revamped version of the game's biggest standalone franchise-style league competition, Saturday wasn't just about Gambits' perfect score. Magnus Carlsen, who stayed away from the GCL in the third edition, played out a draw against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the top board of the match between Alpine APL Pipers and CheQ Mumba Masters.
Even though Pipers, the defending champions, saw Anish Giri lose from board 2, they did win the contest as Vidit Gujrathi and Konery Humpy delivered big wins in a side with heavy local influence.
Though the premium tickets have been priced at well in excess of four figures, the crowd started gathering with an hour to go for the opening match of the fourth season. It again showed that there are people who will not mind paying for tickets to watch a game like chess, a game where fans have historically struggled to follow games because of restrictions.
However, the organisers at GCL have tried to make it as inclusive as possible with the use of commentary and headphones available for free to all ticket-holders. Even if one of the biggest cheers of the day was reserved for Carlsen, the likes of Sindarov, Nihal Sarin, Anand, Arjun Erigaisi and Divya Deshmukh were also welcomed with gusto. The first sort of marquee clashes will be on Monday when Sindarov, the contender to D Gukesh's World Championship throne, will take on Carlsen in the top board.
Results: FYERS American Gambits bt PBG Alaskan Knights, Ganges Grandmasters bt Triveni Continental Kings, Alpine APL Pipers bt CheQ Mumba Masters, American Gambits bt Continental Kings