GCL 2025: D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi lead Alaskan Knights to first win; Alireza Firouzja takes Continental Kings to top

World Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi rose to the occasion in a must-win encounter to steer Alaskan Knights to their first victory of the season, while GM Alireza Firouzja continued his flawless run to propel defending champions Triveni Continental Kings to the top of the standings at the halfway mark of the Global Chess League (GCL) at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai on Thursday.

The Continental Kings edged past Mumba Masters 9-5 in a marquee clash to move clear at the top with 12 match points. Alaskan Knights, meanwhile, beat SG Pipers 12-8 in a contest that produced decisive results on all six boards.



In the third match of the day, Ganges Grandmasters narrowly defeated Fyers American Gambits 8-7 to climb to third place with nine match points.

The spotlight, however, was firmly on the Alaskan Knights, who mounted a dramatic turnaround after losing their first four matches. Facing a must-win scenario against SG Pipers, the Knights chose to play with the white pieces after winning the toss. Arjun set the tone early by defeating Anish Giri on the second board.

SG Pipers responded through Nino Batsiashvilli and Leon Luke Mendonca, both winning with black to swing momentum back in their favour.

With pressure mounting, Gukesh produced a composed and clinical performance to beat Fabiano Caruana in 39 moves. Leinier Dominguez then overcame R Praggnanandhaa, while Kateryna Lagno sealed the result with a victory over Hou Yifan.

Reflecting on his breakthrough win, Gukesh said, “It’s a very special feeling to get my first win. From the start, we felt we were in control, but towards the end, a few things became tricky. When I looked at the other boards, Dominguez’s game seemed around even, maybe slightly better for him, so I knew I had to push for a win. By then, I already had good chances, and my opponent was running low on time.”

Arjun, who was named Player of the Match, said: “It was a special win as none of us had won any match so far and we won four today.”

Earlier, Firouzja maintained his perfect record by punishing an error from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. After opting to play black, Triveni Continental Kings saw early advantages on other boards fizzle out into draws, leaving Firouzja needing a win to tilt the match.

Choosing the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence, he sustained pressure despite time trouble and capitalised when his opponent blundered with a knight move to d5, forcing resignation after 52 moves.

“We needed this win to take the lead after the first half. We have had interesting matches in the past. He beat me many times, I beat me many times, but today it was a good game for me. I tried to take risks. I knew it would be a close match, but as a black, I would get four points, and it paid off today,” said Firouzja, also named Player of the Match.

In the final match of the day, 2025 World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov defeated Richard Rapport with the black pieces, while Viswanathan Anand drew with Hikaru Nakamura on the icon board.

Matchday 6 will see PBG Alaskan Knights take on Fyers American Gambits before facing Triveni Continental Kings later in the day. The Kings will open against Alpine SG Pipers, while upGrad Mumba Masters are set to play Ganges Grandmasters.

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