Triveni Continental Kings crowned Global Chess League champions

Triveni Continental Kings players celebrate with a trophy after they beat upGrad Mumba Masters during the final of the Global Chess League in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, July 2, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Triveni Continental Kings were crowned champions of inaugural Global Chess League after Danish Grandmaster Jonas Bjerre defeated upGrad Mumba Masters’ Javokhir Sindarov in a sudden death match.

The winner was decided through three stages of tie-breaks. After two rounds of rapid ending in a draw, another two rounds of blitz were played, but still finished with draws.

The champion was ultimately decided in a series of sudden-death blitz games where the decisive outcome came in the fourth game.

Bjerre, who was one of the most inexperienced players in the tournament and lost most of his games, delivered the crucial victory to his team when it mattered.

After suffering a series of four losses to Sindarov, in a drawn-even endgame which the 17-year-old Uzbek prodigy decided to force, Bjerre got the upper hand and won on Sunday night.

“The last game was incredibly tense. It was really exciting. I’m still shivering. Levon Aronian (team captain) told me – just fight, if you win this game, you will win the event,” Bjerre said.

With this crucial victory, Bjerre not only clinched the title for his team but also won the $500,000 prize. The overall prize fund for the tournament was a stunning $1 million.

In the first rapid match, Triveni emerged victorious after turning around games on two boards, winning 9-7. The key game of the match was played between Levon Aronian and Maxime Vacheir-Lagrave, which the former won in a sharp and complicated game.

In the second match, Mumba Masters staged a confident comeback. Dominating from the outset, they defeated Triveni 12-3.

With the scores tied, the grand finale headed for the two-round blitz tie-breaks where players had three minutes each, with a two-second increment per move.

In a spectacular performance, the Mumba Masters dominated across the boards and with confident victories on boards three, five and six, they got the first blitz round in their bag early on.

The other games ended with two draws as the final score was 14-5 in Mumba’s favour.

In a thrilling blitz showdown, Triveni mounted a fierce comeback, seizing victory from Mumba 13-7 and turning the tide in their favour.

With Mumba and Triveni each claiming a win, the ultimate champion was decided in a heart-pounding sudden-death match.

The sudden death match was to be played on one board, not six. The board was selected by the draw of lots. The first pair to be selected was number five as Sara Khadem and India’s Harika Dronavalli took their position.

The game ended in a draw as did the next two before Bjerre eked out a memorable title-winning performance.