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
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PBG Alaskan Knights – Alpine APL Pipers 9:7
In the first team match of the day, Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen faced each other on the icon board. Carlsen had Black and pressed for much of the game, but in the end the clock decided the outcome: on move 64, Anand lost on time in a drawn position.
ChessBase India captured the final phase of the game:
Vishy Anand | Photo: Global Chess League
This win with Black earned the Pipers four points, but it was not enough to win the match. Vidit also lost on time. He had an equal position against 15-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmuş, but ran out of time on move 43. Nino Batsiashvili scored the decisive win for the Alaskan Knights against Humpy Koneru.
Photo: Global Chess League
White
Black
Result
GCL points
Viswanathan Anand
Magnus Carlsen
0–1
0:4
Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş
Vidit
1–0
3:0
Arjun Erigaisi
Anish Giri
½–½
1:1
Nino Batsiashvili
Humpy Koneru
1–0
3:0
Kateryna Lagno
Divya Deshmukh
½–½
1:1
Abhimanyu Mishra
Volodar Murzin
½–½
1:1
Team result
9:7
CheQ Mumba Masters – Ganges Grandmasters 12:3
The second match was more one-sided. The Mumba Masters won three games without losing any.
Pranesh M caused an upset by defeating Levon Aronian. The young Indian grandmaster was a late addition to the team, replacing Vladimir Fedoseev, but has been playing well so far. Carissa Yip scored her first win after starting the event with three losses. Bardiya Daneshvar claimed the third victory, beating Leon Luke Mendonca.
White
Black
Result
GCL points
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Ian Nepomniachtchi
½–½
1:1
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Leinier Dominguez
½–½
1:1
Pranesh M
Levon Aronian
1–0
3:0
Carissa Yip
Stavroula Tsolakidou
1–0
3:0
Harika Dronavalli
Polina Shuvalova
½–½
1:1
Bardiya Daneshvar
Leon Luke Mendonca
1–0
3:0
Team result
12:3
Alpine APL Pipers – FYERS American Gambits 15:3
A few hours after their defeat, the Pipers scored the biggest win of the day. They had Black on all six boards and thus benefited from the GCL scoring system in each of their three victories.
Humpy Koneru beat Sara Khadem in just 29 moves, Volodar Murzin defeated Marc'Andria Maurizzi, and Vidit beat Daniil Dubov.
On the icon board, Carlsen faced Javokhir Sindarov. Carlsen surprised his opponent as early as move three with 3...f6!?, an idea which, according to Carlsen, originated from a misclick by his second Peter Heine Nielsen. Carlsen had good winning chances in the endgame but failed to convert them, and the game ended in a draw after 57 moves. Afterwards, Carlsen praised his opponent: "Sindarov is very good. He has a very, very good positional understanding ... is versatile and has no obvious weaknesses."
Top encounter: Javokhir Sindarov against Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Global Chess League
In the final team match of the day, the Triveni Continental Kings scored their first victory after starting the event with three defeats. Wei Yi beat Arjun Erigaisi, Aravindh Chithambaram defeated Yagiz Kaan Erdoğmuş, and Alexandra Kosteniuk beat Nino Batsiashvili.
For the Knights, Kateryna Lagno defeated Zhu Jiner with Black to score four points. Alireza Firouzja drew with Anand, while Pranav and Mishra also shared the point.
White
Black
Result
GCL points
Alireza Firouzja
Viswanathan Anand
½–½
1:1
Wei Yi
Arjun Erigaisi
1–0
3:0
Aravindh Chithambaram
Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş
1–0
3:0
Zhu Jiner
Kateryna Lagno
0–1
0:4
Alexandra Kosteniuk
Nino Batsiashvili
1–0
3:0
Pranav
Abhimanyu Mishra
½–½
1:1
Ergebnis
11:6
Pipers in sole lead
After day three, all teams have played four matches. The Alpine APL Pipers are the only team with three wins and lead the standings with nine match points. Four teams are tied behind them on six points.
Rank
Team
Matches
Wins
Losses
MP
GP
1
Alpine APL Pipers
4
3
1
9
43
2
CheQ Mumba Masters
4
2
2
6
36
3
FYERS American Gambits
4
2
2
6
34
4
PBG Alaskan Knights
4
2
2
6
30
5
Ganges Grandmasters
4
2
2
6
28
6
Triveni Continental Kings
4
1
3
3
34
The first half of the preliminary stage concludes on Tuesday. Among the day's matches, the Triveni Continental Kings will face the leading Alpine APL Pipers, with Alireza Firouzja taking on Magnus Carlsen on the icon board.
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Johannes FischerJohannes 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".
9/13/2026 – Today at 12:00 p.m., the 9th and final day of the Global Chess League begins with the matches for third place between the CheQ Mumba Masters (Vachier-Lagrave, Mamedyarov, Dronavalli) and the FYERS American Gambits (Sindarov, Nihal Sarin, Assaubayeva). The final will follow at 3:00 p.m. between the Ganges Grandmasters Squad (featuring Nepomniachtchi, Aronian, and Shuvalova) and the Alpine APL Pipers (featuring Carlsen, Giri, and Deshmukh, among others). The finals consists of two matches, followed by two blitz matches if necessary, and then another Armageddon match. Live with commentary starting at 12:00 noon (6.00 AM ET, 15.30 IST) | Picture: Global Chess League
9/7/2026 – The Alpine APL Pipers remain unbeaten after day two of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League in Bengaluru, while the FYERS American Gambits suffered their first defeat. The Ganges Grandmasters, PBG Alaskan Knights and CheQ Mumba Masters also picked up match wins, as the standings tightened after eight encounters. The Triveni Continental Kings, meanwhile, remain without a match point after suffering a third consecutive loss. | Photo: Global Chess League
On this 60 mins video we are going to concentrate on a simple, very solid idea in the main line Scandinavian, which even Magnus Carlsen has used to win games. Black focusses on making his life easy in the opening and forces White to work very hard to get advantage – but it is doubtful if White can get an advantage. Club players are always on the lookout for effective, time-saving solutions and here we have just that. Accompany FIDE Senior Trainer and IM Andrew Martin on this 60 mins video. You can learn a new opening system in 60 mins and start to play it with confidence on the very same day!
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The Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4!? is an opening idea well worth considering. Black immediately threatens to double the pawns on c3 in the style of the Trompowski or Sicilian Grand Prix attack.
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