Global Chess League: Ganges Grandmasters defeat Mumba Masters to avoid last-place finish

This was the final day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League before two teams advanced to the finals. The day opened with a faceoff between the bottom two teams in the league—Mumba Masters and Ganges Grandmasters. Despite fielding exceptionally strong squads, both teams struggled this season. Last season’s runners-up Mumba scored just three victories in nine matches, while Ganges secured only two.

Although neither team did well on the scoreboard, their matches were consistently exciting, and this one was no exception. Mumba, playing with the white pieces, had Maxime Vachier-Lagrave take on former World Champion Vishy Anand on the icon board. In a tense and complicated game that lasted 71 moves, the players battled until only the kings remained, agreeing to a draw.
A similar result unfolded on the superstar board. Mumba’s Arjun Erigaisi played aggressively against Vidit Gujrathi, who once again found himself in time trouble, as he had throughout the tournament. Despite the pressure, Erigaisi couldn’t break through, and the game ended in another draw.

Two more draws followed—between Dronavalli Harika and Nurgyul Salimova, and on the prodigy board between Raunak Sadhwani and Volodar Murzin—leaving the score level.
However, Ganges Grandmasters seized their chance. Vaishali Rameshbabu secured her first victory of the tournament, defeating Koneru Humpy, while Parham Maghsoodloo triumphed over Peter Svidler, both victories coming in time trouble. These key wins pushed the final score to 12-4 in Ganges’ favor.

This victory was a consolation for Ganges, allowing them to avoid finishing last. For upGrad Mumba Masters, who had high hopes after their runner-up finish last season, it was a disappointing end to the tournament.