DUBAI: The inaugural edition of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League reached its climax in the grand final which took place at the Le Meridien Hotel in Dubai. In a nail-biting ending to a chess event, the winner was decided through three stages of tie-breaks.
After two rounds of rapid ending in a draw, and then another two rounds of blitz which also finished with draws, the champion was decided in a series of sudden-death blitz games where the decisive outcome came in the fourth game.
In a spectacular finish, Danish 19-year-old Grandmaster Jonas Bjerre brought victory to Triveni Continental Kings after defeating Uzbek 17-year-old prodigy Javokhir Sindarov in a suspenseful game.
Bjerre – who was one of the most inexperienced players in the tournament and lost most of his games, delivered the crucial victory to his team when it mattered. After suffering a series of four losses to Sindarov, in a drawn-even endgame which the Uzbek player decided to force, Bjerre got the upper hand and won.
“The last game was incredibly tense. It was really exciting. I’m still shivering”, said Bjerre whose journey in this tournament can be described as – from zero to hero.
“Levon (team captain) told me – just fight, if you win this game, you will win the event”, Bjerre added.
With this crucial victory, Bjerre not only clinched the title for his team but also won the $500,000 prize. The overall prize fund for the tournament was a stunning one million, the release added.
