The Triveni Continental Kings have found themselves to be second time lucky for the second season in a row in the Global Chess League. Last year, the team was left scrambling for a last-ditch replacement for world champion Ding Liren, and in Levon Aronian, they found an icon who led them to the title.
This time around, after Ian Nepomniachtchi had to withdraw from the event in London due to visa issues, their replacement for the icon board, Alireza Firouzja, has gone on a giant-killing spree.
After bringing down former world champions Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen besides World No 2 Hikaru Nakamura in previous encounters, Firouzja got the better of senior French compatriot Maxime Vachier-Lagrave twice in two days in the second edition of the GCL. Only Anish Giri has been able to hold the Iran-born French star to a draw. Since that draw, the 21-year-old has defeated everyone who has faced him.