Alireza Firouzja’s Dominating 3526 Performance Lights Up Global Chess League
In Mumbai’s Royal Opera House, Alireza Firouzja is delivering a masterful performance at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2025, going a perfect 5/5 on the icon board for Triveni Continental Kings. The French-Iranian superstar has scalped elite opponents: world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana, World Champion D Gukesh, five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and most recently, compatriot Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (French No. 2).
Firouzja’s ruthless form has propelled the two-time defending champions Triveni Continental Kings to the top of the standings at the halfway mark of the double round-robin stage, with his unreal performance rating soaring above 3500 against the world’s best.
Meanwhile, the PBG Alaskan Knights—featuring India’s top stars Arjun Erigaisi and world champion Gukesh—languish near the bottom, struggling despite high expectations from local fans. The world champion, after a win drought, finally managed to collect his first win on Day 5 of the event, winning his team their first match of the tournament.
Yet, the chess community laments Firouzja’s absence from major upcoming events. Widely seen as a disgrace, the 22-year-old prodigy will miss the 2026 Candidates Tournament after failing to qualify, and he has skipped the World Rapid & Blitz Championships in Doha (reason undisclosed), despite thriving in rapid formats here in Mumbai.
Firouzja remains unstoppable—will this streak lead Triveni to a historic hat-trick?
