Chess: Checkmate in one decides finale of $1m Global League in Dubai

The final match in the new franchise-based league went down to a single combat blitz tiebreak and Jonas Bjerre caught Javokhir Sindarov with a snap mate

Last Sunday’s final of the $1m Global Chess League in Dubai went down to a single combat blitz game with an unlikely outcome. After several tiebreak stages failed to separate Triveni Continental Kings, led by Levon Aronian, and upGrad Mumba Masters, headed by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, the match evolved to a 3+2 blitz game between Jonas Bjerre, 19, and Javokhir Sindarov, 17, where the Danish player, who had lost several previous games to the Uzbek, was the underdog.

Sindarov pressed hard, but Bjerre kept the game going until both were blitzing at speed. Bjerre played 1…Nb4 and Sindarov, only aware of the threat to his bishop, replied 2 Be4?? Ra2 mate. Simply 2 Rxa5 with two pawns for a knight would have drawn easily.

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