Global Chess League: Hou Yifan's super Sunday takes Alpine SG Pipers to second spot

World women's No.1 Hou Yifan made her presence felt when it mattered the most for Fabiano Caruana-led Alpine SG Pipers in the Global Chess League on Sunday. With the Pipers playing consecutive matches in Mumbai, the Chinese No.1 Hou played a pivotal role by winning both the games she played, guiding her team to a close and identical 8-7 victory over UpGrad Mumba Masters and Fyers American Gambits, respectively.

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Hou's victory march helped the Pipers jump to the second spot with 15 points, behind two-time GCL champions Triveni Continental Kings, who are leading the chart with 21 points. The Alireza Firouzja-led Kings outclassed Vishy Anand's Ganges Grandmasters 14-5 to secure their spot in the finals for the third successive season of the league. Three teams are following the leaders with 12 points each.




When her team needed it the most, the three-time Women's World Chess Champion Hou delivered with decisive results. Being the second-highest-rated female player of all time, behind Judit Polgar, Hou's twin victories took the Pipers from the fifth to the second position. In the day's opening clash, Hou rescued her team with a 30-move victory over India No.1 Koneru Humpy. Later, the 31-year-old Hou got the better of Kazakhstan's 21-year-old wonder girl Bibisara Assaubayeva in 35 moves. In both outings, Hou's victory with the black pieces helped the Pipers register victories by a wafer-thin margin of a point.

On Monday, when the last phase of the league round will be played, the Pipers will just need a win over Gukesh-led PBG Alaskan Knights to confirm their final spot. Despite Gukesh suffering defeat on Sunday, his Knights defeated Mumba Masters 10-8 to deny the home team a final qualification berth. If the Pipers lose and Mumba Masters defeat Triveni Kings, then the home team from Mumbai will have a real chance to qualify for the finals, thanks to their better tiebreak score of 83 game points.


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