Alpine APL Pipers beat PBG Alaskan Knights 11-6 but lost to Ganges Grandmasters 4-12; CheQ Mumba Masters also stay in the hunt with a 14-5 win over Triveni Continental Kings; American Gambits beat the Grandmasters 13-5.
The group stage of the fourth season of the Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE in Bengaluru, is heading to a nail-biting finale. With only two days left to play at the preliminary stage, just one game point separates the top three teams.
Defending champions Alpine APL Pipers, FYERS American Gambits, and Ganges Grandmasters now have 15 Match Points each after eight rounds. The first two are slightly ahead with 73 Game Points, while the Grandmasters sit on 72.
The Pipers and the Grandmasters had a chance to take the sole lead on Thursday, as they were scheduled to play two matches each.
Ganges Grandmasters began the day with a convincing 12-4 win over the Alpine APL Pipers while playing with the Black pieces, but went down 13-5 in their final match of the day against the American Gambits.
The Pipers went on to beat the PBG Alaskan Knights 11-6, and the CheQ Mumba Masters kept their chances of making it to the final alive with a 14-5 win over the Triveni Continental Kings. They now have 12 Match Points and 73 Game Points to show for their efforts.
Let’s take a closer look at today’s matches:
Alpine APL Pipers vs. Ganges Grandmasters: 4-12
The day began with the Ganges Grandmasters beating the Pipers without dropping a single game.
Stavroula Tsolakidou started the Grandmasters’ march by inflicting a second loss of the tournament on Humpy Koneru. On the Superstar Men’s board, two-time World Cup winner Levon Aronian turned the tables on Anish Giri to win in 61 moves.
“I got lucky, very lucky. But I always believed that I could find the best moves despite playing very badly at the start. Maybe not losing the game was what I deserved, but winning, of course, is a huge stroke of luck,” said Aronian, who was also named Player of the Match.
With all other games drawn, the Ganges Grandmasters comfortably sealed the match.
Triveni Continental Kings vs. CheQ Mumba Masters: 5-14
In the day’s second match, the CheQ Mumba Masters kept their hopes of reaching the final alive with a thumping win over the Triveni Continental Kings.
Playing with the Black pieces, the Mumba Masters won three out of six games, with Alexandra Kosteniuk scoring the only victory for the Continental Kings. On the Icon board, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave outplayed Alireza Firouzja, and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov defeated Aravindh Chithambaram on the Superstar Men’s board.
With Bardiya Daneshvar also winning on the Prodigy board, the Mumba Masters took their Game Points tally to 73 from eight matches, securing their fourth win.
Alpine APL Pipers vs. PBG Alaskan Knights: 11-6
Magnus Carlsen set the tone in the match, prevailing over Viswanathan Anand in a complicated battle on the Icon board, while Humpy Koneru took revenge for her earlier loss to Nino Batsiashvili, extending the Pipers’ lead.
Volodar Murzin then defeated Abhimanyu Mishra on the Prodigy board in a time scramble to put the result beyond doubt. Only 15-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus managed to score four points for a win with Black for the Alaskan Knights, as Vidit Gujrathi ran out of time on the Superstar Men’s board.
FYERS American Gambits vs. Ganges Grandmasters: 13-5
Aronian made it a double when he defeated Nihal Sarin of FYERS American Gambits in the last match of the day, but his team suffered a crushing 13-5 defeat.
On the Icon board, Candidates 2026 winner Javokhir Sindarov won over Ian Nepomniachtchi, Daniil Dubov outplayed Leinier Dominguez Perez, Bibisara Assaubayeva handed Polina Shuvalova her first loss of the competition, and Marc’Andria Maurizzi claimed another three points after Luke Leon Mendonca ran out of time on the Prodigy board.
Standings after Day 6
Schedule for Friday, September 11:
5.00 PM: Triveni Continental Kings vs PBG Alaskan Knights
6.30 PM: Alpine APL Pipers vs FYERS American Gambits
8.00 PM: Ganges Grandmasters vs CheQ Mumba Masters
About the Global Chess League
The Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, is the world’s first and largest official franchise league of its kind. The league brings together leading chess players from across the globe in a unique joint team format, with six players representing each franchise across Icons, Superstar Men, Superstar Women and Prodigies. Men and women compete together on the same team, with every board carrying equal value towards the team’s result. GCL has previously staged seasons in Dubai, London, and Mumbai and returns to India for Season 4 in Bengaluru.
GCL official website: https://globalchessleague.com/