GCL: Alpine Pipers in joint lead despite having a mixed day
The Global Chess League sees a tight race for the top spot as the Alpine Pipers, Fyers American Gambits, and Ganges Grandmasters remain in a three-way tie. Individual performances, including a notable win by Bibisara Assaubayeva, continue to influence the standings.
Why it matters
The growth of professional chess leagues highlights the increasing commercialization and global popularity of competitive chess.
Bibisara Assaubayeva had played seven games and won none. On the eve of her eighth game, her teammate Javokhir Sindarov joked she could take one of his Player-of-the-Match trophies from the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, as he had many.
Sindarov needn’t be that generous, though Assaubayeva is his girlfriend. She won the award on her own, for her win against Polina Shuvalova, who hadn’t lost a single game in the tournament.
That win by Assaubayeva helped Fyers American Gambits beat Ganges Grandmasters 13-5 in the last match at the Lalit Ashok on Thursday and thus remain in the joint lead with just two rounds remaining in the round-robin league. Sindarov, of course, played his part, winning his game against Ian Nepomniachtchi.
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