India – December 20, 2025: Marc’andria Maurizzi registered a last-gasp win over Volodar Murzin on the prodigy board to help defending champions Triveni Continental Kings escaped to a 8-7 victory over Fyers Amerian Gambits and open up a six point lead at the top of the leader board on Matchday 7 in the Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, on Saturday.
Ganges Grandmasters move to third place
Ganges Grandmasters won against Alpine SG Pipers but lost to PBG Alaskan Knights and are now in third spot with 12 match points.
Continental Kings tighten grip on top position
upGrad Mumba Masters are second with 12 match points despite going dow to American Gambits 16-1 on Saturday while the Continental Kings have 18 points and already have one foot in the final.
American Gambits dominate early stages
But at one stage it looked like the American Gambits had thrown the race for the top two spots wide open, having hammered second played Mumba Masters 16-1 in the first match of the day and had taken a 7-4 lead against the Continental Kings after Theodora Injac defeated Alexandra Kostenieuk on the women’s superstar board.
Maurizzi delivers decisive blow
This meant that Maurizzi had to beat world rapid champion Murzin on the prodigy board with black to earn four game points to extend Continental Kings lead at the top of the table. He did that in style to win the match for his team and also earn the Player of the Match award.
Mumba Masters suffer crushing defeat
Earlier, Mumba Masters’ hopes of sealing a final spot suffered a major setback after they were crushed by American Gambits in the reverse fixture.
Star performances propel Gambits
After actor and fitness enthusiast Milind Soman made the ceremonial move on the icon board, Vladislav Artemiev started Gambit’s march with a convincing win over Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura then beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on the icon board in 55 moves. Player of the Match Richard Rapport then put the result beyond doubt with a win over Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Only one point for Mumba Masters
In fact, only Bardiya Daneshwar was the only Mumba Masters’ player to earn a point after he drew with Volodar Murzin.
Grandmasters close gap but miss second spot
Second-placed Mumba Masters’ slip up opened the doors for the other teams and Ganges Grandmasters’ closed the gap with a 10-9 win over Alpine SG Pipers.
The Grandmasters had a chance to move up to second spot in the final match of the day as they were facing last placed PBG Alaskan Knights.
Alaskan Knights secure narrow victory
But Sara Khadem defeated Stavroula Tsolakidou and Player of the match Arjun Erigaisi chocked Vincent Keymer with white pieces to garner six crucial points for their team.
Draw on icon board seals Knights’ win
On the icon board, world champion D Gukesh also pressed for victory against Viswanathan Anand but could not convert his advantage in a rook-pawn end game. But the draw was enough to ensure a victory for the Knights.
