Global Chess League: Three teams tied for the lead

by Johannes Fischer
9/11/2026 – Six teams, 36 world-class players, 20 minutes for the entire game, an increment only from move 40, 4 points for a win with Black, 3 for a win with White, 1 for a draw, 18 to 24 games per day, and a prize fund of $1 million – the Global Chess League is a chess spectacle. And it is heading for an exciting finish: the top two teams in the preliminary stage qualify for the final, and after eight of ten team matches, three teams are tied for the lead. | Photo: In one of the day's many top-level encounters, Magnus Carlsen defeated Vishy Anand | Photo: Global Chess League
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After day six, the Alpine APL Pipers, the FYERS American Gambits and the Ganges Grandmasters all have 15 match points. The teams are also very evenly matched on board points: the Pipers and the Gambits both have 73, with the Grandmasters just behind on 72.

Alpine APL Pipers – Ganges Grandmasters 4:12

The short time control in the Global Chess League repeatedly leads to time-trouble drama and surprising turnarounds. One such turnaround came in the clash between the Alpine Pipers and the Ganges Grandmasters: Anish Giri, playing on board two behind Magnus Carlsen for the Pipers, outplayed Levon Aronian and reached a winning position. In a classical game he would probably have won, but in the rapid format of the Global Chess League he did not have enough time for a smooth conversion.

For this defensive effort, Aronian was named "Player of the Match".

All’s well that ends well: Levon Aronian, the "Player of the Match" | Photo: Global Chess League

Aronian himself said after the game: "Of course I got lucky, very lucky, but I will always believe and try to find the best moves... In a way, I think it was kind of deserved. Not losing the game was deserved, but winning, of course, was huge luck."

White

Black

Result

GCL points

Magnus Carlsen

Ian Nepomniachtchi

½–½

1:1

Anish Giri

Levon Aronian

0–1

0:4

Vidit Gujrathi

Leinier Dominguez

½–½

1:1

Divya Deshmukh

Polina Shuvalova

½–½

1:1

Humpy Koneru

Stavroula Tsolakidou

0–1

0:4

Volodar Murzin

Leon Luke Mendonca

½–½

1:1

Team result

4:12

Triveni Continental Kings – CheQ Mumba Masters 5:14

On the icon board, Alireza Firouzja faced Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and "MVL" once again showed why he likes the Grünfeld Defence, and how well he plays it.

White

Black

Result

GCL points

Alireza Firouzja

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

0–1

0:4

Wei Yi

Pranesh M

½–½

1:1

Aravindh Chithambaram

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

0–1

0:4

Zhu Jiner

Harika Dronavalli

½–½

1:1

Alexandra Kosteniuk

Carissa Yip

1–0

3:0

Pranav V

Bardiya Daneshvar

0–1

0:4

Team result

5:14

Alpine APL Pipers – PBG Alaskan Knights 11:6

After losing to the Grandmasters at the start of the day, the Pipers bounced back with a win over the Alaskan Knights. On the icon board, Carlsen and Anand faced each other once again, 13 years after their 2013 World Championship match. Anand had a good position after the opening and in the early middlegame, but then lost his way and allowed Carlsen to launch a powerful attack.

White

Black

Result

GCL points

Magnus Carlsen

Viswanathan Anand

1–0

3:0

Anish Giri

Arjun Erigaisi

½–½

1:1

Vidit Gujrathi

Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş

0–1

0:4

Divya Deshmukh

Kateryna Lagno

½–½

1:1

Humpy Koneru

Nino Batsiashvili

1–0

3:0

Volodar Murzin

Abhimanyu Mishra

1–0

3:0

Team result

11:6

FYERS American Gambits – Ganges Grandmasters 13:5

In the fourth and final match of the day, the American Gambits convincingly defeated the Ganges Grandmasters 13-5. On the icon board, Javokhir Sindarov beat Ian Nepomniachtchi to score his third consecutive win.

White

Black

Result

GCL points

Javokhir Sindarov

Ian Nepomniachtchi

1–0

3:0

Nihal Sarin

Levon Aronian

0–1

0:4

Daniil Dubov

Leinier Dominguez

1–0

3:0

Bibisara Assaubayeva

Polina Shuvalova

1–0

3:0

Sara Khadem

Stavroula Tsolakidou

½–½

1:1

Marc'Andria Maurizzi

Leon Luke Mendonca

1–0

3:0

Team result

13:5

With two team matches remaining in the preliminary stage, the race for the two places in the final remains wide open.

Standings after day 6

Rank

Team

Matches

MP

GP

1

Alpine APL Pipers

8

15

73

2

FYERS American Gambits

8

15

73

3

Ganges Grandmasters

8

15

72

4

CheQ Mumba Masters

8

12

73

5

PBG Alaskan Knights

8

9

64

6

Triveni Continental Kings

8

6

57

Games

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Topics: Global Chess League 2026, Javokhir Sindarov, Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand
Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".
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See also

Global Chess League: Carlsen beats Vachier-Lagrave – FYERS American Gambits stay on top

9/10/2026 – We do not know how successful Magnus Carlsen (pictured) was on the golf course, but in the Global Chess League he delivered. Carlsen beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to help his Alpine APL Pipers defeat the CheQ Mumba Masters. After day five, the Pipers are level with leaders FYERS American Gambits on 12 match points, despite having played only six matches to the Gambits' seven. | Photos: Global Chess League
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See also

Global Chess League: Carlsen’s Pipers Take the Lead

9/8/2026 – The Alpine APL Pipers, with Magnus Carlsen on the icon board, took sole lead in the standings on day three of the Global Chess League in Bengaluru. In their first match of the day, Carlsen beat Viswanathan Anand on time (pictured), but the Pipers nevertheless lost to the PBG Alaskan Knights. Carlsen's team then bounced back with a 15-3 victory over the previously leading FYERS American Gambits. After four of ten matches, the Pipers lead the table with nine match points, followed by four teams on six. | Photos: Global Chess League
More...
 4

Video

60m English The Elephant Gambit

The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.