‘Unfortunate things happening’: Arjun Erigaisi explains Vishwanathan Anand’s poor GCL run despite team win | Chess News

Arjun Erigaisi and Viswanathan Anand (Photo by ChessBase India)

BENGALURU: It was a different day, a different set of fixtures and a different proposition for each team looking to seal a top-two berth. But what remained the same was Viswanathan Anand’s miserable run at the 2026 Global Chess League (GCL) on Wednesday at The Lalit Ashok Hotel. This time, the defeat came against veteran Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who had White pieces.Although Anand’s side, Alaskan Knights, ended up winning the match against MVL’s Mumba Masters, the Indian legend, still winless with five defeats from seven games, has endured a complicated outing despite producing competitive performances and showing glimpses of brilliance on the “Icon” board against some of the strongest players in the field.After the match, fellow Indian Grandmaster and Anand’s teammate Arjun Erigaisi spoke to the media about the veteran’s difficult run and why his results do not tell the whole story.Asked about Anand’s recent lack of form on the board, Arjun replied, “At this age, I cannot imagine how many people would be playing at this level. Even though he lost some games, it wasn’t like he was getting outplayed or something.”Arjun stressed that Anand, now 56, continues to compete on equal terms with a younger generation of players.“He is still competing head-on with most of these young players. Only in the final moments, some unfortunate things are happening,” he added. “It’s hugely inspiring to see how well he is playing at this age.”The 23-year-old also discussed the conversations players have away from the board, particularly after wins and losses, and how they deal with mistakes.“Just analyse the important things that happened and try to rectify whatever can be done,” he revealed. “For example, I was missing a lot of basic tactics in earlier games. So, I was doing some puzzles. Yeah, just small, small things which may matter.”

Mumba Masters miss chance to go top

In the third game of the day, Mumba Masters had the opportunity to move to the top of the standings when they faced Alaskan Knights with the white pieces.Mumba Masters appeared to be on course for victory until the closing stages. Carissa Yip, who had held a significantly better position, eventually lost on time against Nino Batsiashvili.Abhimanyu Mishra then responded to the heartbreak of Tuesday with a crucial victory over Bardiya Daneshvar. His win helped the Alaskan Knights seal the match and also earned Mishra the Player of the Match award. And despite MVL beating Anand and draws on the other three boards, Mumba Masters missed the golden opportunity to showcase their authority on the points table.Earlier in the day, APL Pipers strengthened their position with an 11-6 win over Mumba Masters, while Ganges Grandmasters thrashed Triveni Continental Kings 15-3.In the final match on Wednesday, American Gambits edged Triveni Continental Kings 8-5 to move to the top of the standings.GCL 2026 Points Table

GCL 2026 Day 6 fixtures: Thursday, September 10