After an exhilarating opening day that saw the defending champions Triveni Continental Kings edge Alpine SG Pipers 9-7, upGrad Mumba Masters demolish Ganges Grandmasters 17-4, and American Gambits narrowly defeat PBG Alaskan Knights 8-5, Day 2 promises even more high-octane chess action at Mumbai’s Royal Opera House.
Match 4: FYERS American Gambits vs upGrad Mumba Masters (17:00 IST)
The day kicks off with what could be the marquee encounter as Hikaru Nakamura’s American Gambits take on the in-form upGrad Mumba Masters. After their narrow opening-day victory, the Gambits will be looking to build momentum, but they face a team that looked utterly dominant in their 17-4 thrashing of the Grandmasters.
Key Matchups:
Icon Board: The battle between world number two Hikaru Nakamura and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will be electric. MVL was in devastating form on Day 1, defeating the legendary Viswanathan Anand with the black pieces, and will be brimming with confidence.
Men’s Boards: The Gambits’ Richard Rapport and Vladislav Artemiev will face the formidable duo of Wesley So and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Wesley So sparked a heated bidding war before joining the Mumba Masters, and fans are eager to see him in action.
Women’s Boards: Bibisara Assaubayeva and Teodora Injac for the Gambits versus the Indian powerhouse pairing of Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli promises fascinating chess.
Prodigy Board: Current World Rapid Champion Volodar Murzin will need to shine for the Gambits against Bardiya Daneshvar, who was clinical on Day 1.
What to Expect:
This match could see fireworks on the top boards. The Mumba Masters looked the most complete team on Day 1, but the Gambits have the star power to turn things around. Expect aggressive chess and tactical complications.
Match 5: Alpine SG Pipers vs Ganges Grandmasters (18:30 IST)
Both teams are coming off disappointing Day 1 results and will be desperate to register their first win. The Pipers fell 9-7 to the defending champions despite fighting hard, while the Grandmasters suffered a crushing 4-17 defeat.
Key Matchups:
Icon Board: World number three Fabiano Caruana will face the legendary five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in what promises to be a chess clinic. Both lost their Icon board games on Day 1 and will be eager to bounce back.
Men’s Boards: The Pipers’ R Praggnanandhaa and Anish Giri versus Vincent Keymer and Javokhir Sindarov. Pragg has been consistent throughout his career, and fans will expect him to deliver. Giri, a former Candidates tournament participant, lost to Wei Yi on Day 1 and needs to find form.
Women’s Boards: World number one women’s player Hou Yifan and Nino Batsiashvili against Stavroula Tsolakidou and Polina Shuvalova. Hou Yifan was held to a draw by Zhu Jiner in a game she could have won, while Batsiashvili secured the Pipers’ only victory on Day 1.
Prodigy Board: Leon Mendonca takes on Raunak Sadhwani, who blundered a piece early on Day 1 and will be looking for redemption.
What to Expect:
This is a must-win for both teams. The Grandmasters need to support Anand better after leaving him isolated on Day 1, while the Pipers have the quality across all boards to dominate if they click together.
Match 6: PBG Alaskan Knights vs Triveni Continental Kings (20:00 IST)
The day’s final match is a rematch of last year’s final, which Triveni won to claim their second consecutive title. This promises to be the most eagerly anticipated clash of the day.
Key Matchups:
Icon Board: Reigning World Champion D Gukesh versus Alireza Firouzja. On Day 1, Gukesh held Nakamura to a draw while Firouzja stunned Caruana with a brilliant piece sacrifice. This could be the game of the tournament so far.
Men’s Boards: India’s number two Arjun Erigaisi and Leinier Dominguez face Wei Yi and Vidit Gujrathi. Wei Yi was brilliant on Day 1, defeating Anish Giri convincingly. The Gukesh-Erigaisi dream pairing will be tested by two champions.
Women’s Boards: Sara Khadem and Kateryna Lagno versus Zhu Jiner and Alexandra Kosteniuk. Both Zhu and Kosteniuk held their own on Day 1, with the defending champions looking solid in this department.
Prodigy Board: Daniel Dardha takes on Marc’Andria Maurizzi in what should be a fascinating battle between two talented youngsters.
What to Expect:
This is the heavyweight clash of Day 2. The Knights will be burning with desire to avenge their narrow Day 1 loss to the Gambits, while Triveni will want to prove their opening-day win was no fluke. The home crowd support for Gukesh, Arjun, and Vidit could be a significant factor, but Triveni’s experience in big matches cannot be underestimated. Expect tactical fireworks and time pressure drama.
Format Reminder
This season features a crucial change: a two-second increment after the 40th move, which should reduce the wild time scrambles that characterized last year’s edition and allow superior positions to be converted more reliably.
