The GCL 2025 day 8 at Mumbai’s Royal Opera House delivered drama, with defending champions Triveni Continental Kings sealing their finals spot while Alpine SG Pipers surged to sole second place. Three-time Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan stole the show, scoring 2/2 with black pieces in both wins, grabbing Player of the Match honours twice.
GCL 2025 Day 8 Recap
The GCL 2025 day 8 kicked off with Match 24: Alpine SG Pipers vs upGrad Mumba Masters. Hou Yifan crushed Koneru Humpy on the top board, her precise play turning the tide in a tight 8-7 victory. The Pipers drew most boards but edged ahead thanks to that sole win, climbing the standings and shaking off recent setbacks. This was their second win over Mumba, proving their fightback was no fluke.
Next came the blockbuster: Match 25, Ganges Grandmasters vs Triveni Continental Kings. Triveni demolished them 14-5, with wins from Alireza Firouzja, Jiner Zhu, and Alexandra Kosteniuk. Only Javokhir Sindarov scored for Ganges against Vidit Gujrathi. This result locked Triveni’s third straight finals berth at 21 match points, leaving no doubt about their dominance, no weak links, just pure team cohesion.
Hou Yifan’s magic continued in Match 26: Alpine SG Pipers vs FYERS American Gambits. She handed Bibisara Assaubayeva her first tournament loss, blitzing into a winning pawn-king endgame after careful calculation. With several draws and one minor loss, the Pipers won 8-7 again, hitting 15 match points for second. Now, they just need to avoid defeat against PBG Alaskan Knights in Round 10 to join Triveni in the final.
Match 27 wrapped the day: upGrad Mumba Masters vs PBG Alaskan Knights, an 8-10 Alaskan win. World Champion D Gukesh fell to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, but Leinier Dominguez and Sara Khadem secured the points. Standings tightened behind the leaders, Mumba, Ganges, and PBG at 12 points, Gambits at 9. The race for finals is wide open, but Alpine leads the chase.
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GCL 2025 Standings After Day 8
| # | Team | Pts. | TB |
| 1 | Triveni Continental Kings | 21 | 92 |
| 2 | Alpine SG Pipers | 15 | 78 |
| 3 | upGrad Mumba Masters | 12 | 83 |
| 4 | Ganges Grandmasters | 12 | 71 |
| 5 | PBG Alaskan Knights | 12 | 62 |
| 6 | Fyers American Gambits | 9 | 73 |
Also read: GCL 2025: Triveni Continental Kings Reach Finals With Rounds To Spare
