London, Oct 5 (PTI) Alireza Firouzja defeated world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura as Triveni Continental Kings defeated American Gambits in their Global Chess League contest here on Saturday.
Nakamura was in trouble right from the start of the contest and failed to recover, eventually being forced to resign.
Wei Yi defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Alexandra Kosteniuk pulled off an impressive win in a lost position against Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Triveni Continental Kings prevailed against American Gambits with the remaining three games ending in draws, triumphing with a commanding 15-3 score.
“This is a great event and the format is exciting. This is the strongest chess league in the world so it’s difficult but our team is in good shape,” Firouzja said after the match.
Alpine’s Magnus Carlsen was in a defensive position against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and played out a draw, whereas Indians R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi (Mumba Masters) also engaged in a draw.
Alpine Pipers defeated Mumba Masters 12-4 as GM Richard Rapport delivered a crucial win against Peter Svidler.
Despite starting with the advantage of the first move, Svidler found himself in a weaker position early on and couldn’t recover.
Both women’s boards ended in draws, leaving the match to be decided on the junior board.
Alpine’s Daniel Dardha secured a victory over Raunak Sadhwani having promoted an extra queen, clinching a 12-4 win for the Pipers.
Alpine Pipers moved to the third spot in the league with a total of six points while Mumba Masters remained at the same position.