9/14/2026 – The Ganges Grandmasters have won the fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. In the final in Bengaluru, Ian Nepomniachtchi's team defeated defending champions Alpine APL Pipers 4-2. After the first match ended 3-3, the Grandmasters won the second, with Nepomniachtchi scoring a spectacular victory over Magnus Carlsen and Stavroula Tsolakidou beating Humpy Koneru to seal the title. Viswanathan Anand and his PBG Alaskan Knights had already been eliminated before the final day. | Photos and videos: ChessBase India
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A Furious Final Day
The final day of the Global Chess League lived up to the excitement of the week. The CheQ Mumba Masters and FYERS American Gambits first battled for third place, before the Ganges Grandmasters faced the Alpine APL Pipers in the final – the two teams that had also finished the preliminary stage at the top of the standings. In the end, the Ganges Grandmasters lifted the trophy for the first time.
The two match-winners of the final flank the team: Ian Nepomniachtchi (left) and Stavroula Tsolakidou (right). Between them: Levon Aronian, Leinier Dominguez, team captain Adhiban Baskaran and Polina Shuvalova. | Photo: ChessBase India
The final began with a 3-3 draw, leaving everything to play for in the return match. Levon Aronian gave Ganges the lead by beating Anish Giri, but Volodar Murzin levelled the score for the Pipers with a win over Leon Luke Mendonca. The other four games were drawn.
In the second match, the Grandmasters had Black on all six boards. The decisive battle came on the icon board, where Ian Nepomniachtchi faced Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian appeared to be heading for victory, but Nepomniachtchi found a tactical escape.
At this point, Carlsen was still doing fine:
But the former world champion then played 28.Qxb5?, turning his clear advantage into an equal position. After 28...c4 29.Qd7, Nepomniachtchi struck with the spectacular bishop sacrifice 29...Bxf2+, turning the game around and putting Carlsen’s king and position under increasing pressure.
The game continued with 30.Kxf2 Rxb2+ 31.Kf1?! Qc5 31.Rd2? -+. Carlsen resigned after move 39.
Nepomniachtchi later described his decisive idea with remarkable self-irony: “I was incredibly lucky. That was my only idea, ...Bxf2. It reminded me of some kids’ tournament where you desperately hope your opponent will make a mistake ... and it worked!”
For Nepomniachtchi, the victory also carried particular significance: his long-time rival Carlsen had beaten him in their 2021 World Championship match and also finished ahead of him when they shared the World Blitz Championship title in 2024. This time, it was Nepomniachtchi who stopped Carlsen at the decisive moment. | Video: ChessBase India
A stunned Magnus Carlsen | Photo: ChessBase India
The final decision, however, did not come on the icon board. While the other games were heading towards draws, Stavroula Tsolakidou was fighting Humpy Koneru for the decisive point. The Greek had missed winning chances of her own before getting into trouble.
Humpy missed her last chance to save the game with 44.Kb2??. Moves such as 44.Kc3 or 44.Kd2 would even have left her with a sizeable advantage. Instead, she chose the only losing king move. The game continued 44...Re6 45.Qc3? Rxe2+ 46.Kb3 Qe6+ 47.Ka4? Qa6+ 48.Kb3 Qxb7+ 0-1.
Tsolakidou seized her chance to become the match-winner, and her victory completed the Ganges Grandmasters’ 4-2 triumph.
"It’s special to beat the defending champions; now we have to defend the title ourselves next year!" Tsolakidou said afterwards.
The 25-year-old was also named Player of the Tournament. Her performance was one of the highlights of the GCL season: after a difficult start, she found impressive form in the second half of the event, scoring wins against Alexandra Kosteniuk and, in the final, Humpy Koneru.
The Top Scorers
Levon Aronian highlighted the role of team coach Adhiban Baskaran in the victory, saying his strategy had played an important part. "And because they had drawn, they weren’t sure how they should fight. If we had won, maybe it wouldn’t have been so easy."
Aronian was referring to the 3-3 draw in the first match, suggesting that the result may have put their opponents in a more difficult psychological position.
Polina Shuvalova also had an outstanding tournament. Although she did not win on the final day, the Russian scored seven points from ten games, the highest individual total of the event. Together with Tsolakidou, she formed a key part of the champions’ successful women’s duo. Leon Luke Mendonca also contributed important wins on the prodigy board.
In the match for third place, the FYERS American Gambits, led by Javokhir Sindarov, defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s CheQ Mumba Masters. After narrowly winning the first match 3½-2½, the Gambits took the second 4-2 to secure third place. Nihal Sarin and Marc'Andria Maurizzi both scored important wins.
This is a full repertoire after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 focussing on the Evans Gambit as the main weapon. Few openings teach the art of attack as directly as the Evans Gambit. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4, White gives up a pawn to rip open the position, build a powerful center and head straight for the black king. The best part is that the tactics aren't forced or memorized. They arise naturally from the position, which makes the Evans the ideal opening for club players and ambitious juniors who want sharper, more confident results. But a great gambit is only half a repertoire. Across these two volumes, IM Andrew Martin gives you the complete picture after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, with a clear, ready-to-play answer to everything Black can throw at you.
Stefan LiebigStefan Liebig, born in 1974, is a journalist and co-owner of a marketing agency. He now lives in Barterode near Göttingen. At the age of five, strange pieces on his neighbour’s shelf aroused his curiosity. Since then, the game of chess has cast a spell over him. Flying high in the NRW youth league with his home club SV Bad Laasphe and several appearances in the second division team of Tempo Göttingen were highlights for the former youth South Westphalia champion.
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
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
King’s Indian fans who choose the Mar del Plata attack (7...Nc6) against White’s classical system (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0) usually aim for a complex position with mutual attacks on open wings, requiring long-term strategic planning and tactical sharpness in critical moments. Computers often do not know how to handle the arising complex strategic positions, which suits players who like to think on their own instead of memorizing long variations. However, the fashionable Bayonet Attack (9.b4) interferes with Black’s ideas. After Black’s main move 9...Nh5 the positions opens, the lines get forced and computer analysis is important again. But this DVD offers an antidote against White’s Bayonet Attack, namely 9...a5! This move leads to sound positions with very few concrete lines, in which the focus is on strategy not on tactics. Objectively chances are equal but if Black knows what to do things might quickly become dangerous for White.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Michael Kotyk presents a complete repertoire after 1.e4 e5, built around creative ideas, surprising move orders, and practical weapons designed to catch your opponents off guard.
Michael Kotyk presents a complete repertoire after 1.e4 e5, built around creative ideas, surprising move orders, and practical weapons designed to catch your opponents off guard.
Michael Kotyk presents a complete repertoire after 1.e4 e5, built around creative ideas, surprising move orders, and practical weapons designed to catch your opponents off guard.
“Attack with Qh5!!” – Tactical training with Oliver Reeh, “6…g5 – nothing ventured, nothing …” – Le Quang Liem comments on one of his victories in Biel, “Grischuk’s stroke of genius” – Petra Papp reveals a surprise in the Sicilian Kan Variation, and much
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
While tactics decide the game in concrete moments, strategy guides the entire battle. Understanding how to improve your pieces, create weaknesses, execute maneuvers, and steer the game toward favorable structures is what defines strong players.
The Italian Four Knights is the ideal choice. It combines the solid foundation of classical openings like the Ruy Lopez or the Italian Game with an active, initiative-driven style of play.
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