Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand lost to former world blitz champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Vachier-Lagrave’s Mumba Masters registered a 14-5 win over Anand’s Ganges Grandmasters on day two of the ongoing Global Chess League in Friends House, London on Friday.
Both teams lost their opening games with identical scores.
Despite being in a better position, Anand made a few mistakes, allowing Vachier-Lagrave to turn the tables in his favour.
Against time pressure, the French star stepped into his blitz championship instincts, controlling the game and ultimately sealing a vital victory.
Mumba Masters, who played the match as Black - took control from there, with a win on the youngster’s board and a draw on the second women’s board, pushing them into the lead.
Ganges Grandmasters found it difficult to tap into the winning momentum, and despite world number three Arjun Erigaisi’s best efforts, he could only manage a draw against Vidit Gujrathi.
The situation worsened for Ganges, when Koneru Humpy overcame R Vaishali, clinching the match for the Mumba Masters.
While Parham Maghsoodloo secured a hard-fought victory against Peter Svidler to rescue Ganges, it wasn’t enough to save them from a 14-5 defeat.
With the Mumba Masters claiming their first points, Ganges Grandmasters face an uphill battle after back-to-back losses.
The situation is worse because this is their second defeat playing as white pieces and they must regroup quickly if they hope to stay in contention for the top places.
Both teams will be in action again later on.
Mumba Masters will play Alpine SG Pipers in the third match, while Ganges Grandmasters will be up against Triveni Continental Kings in the last match of the day.
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