Alpine Gets Sole Lead. Who can stop them?
Alpine APL Pipers is the most star-studded team of the 2026 Global Chess League. Magnus Carlsen is holding his ground on the Icon board; Vidit and Anish on the Superstar Men; Divya and Humpy on the Superstar Women; and Volodar Murzin on Prodigy. The task of beating them looks next to impossible, but PBG Alaskan Knights did that in the 9th Match. Can any other team repeat it, or is Alpine going to crush them? We will see in the next few days...
Let's have a look at the points table
Now Let's dive into a match-by-match breakdown of Day 3
Match 9: PBG Alaskan Knights vs. Alpine APL Pipers (9-7)
It was the 1st game of the day, and Alpine APL Pipers were coming out in red-hot form after winning both their matches. Vidit Gujrathi, who was in great form, lost on time against Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in an equal position. Nino Batsiashvili defeated in-form Koneru Humpy to secure important 3 points for her team. Anand lost on time in an equal endgame against Carlsen, but his team had already secured enough points to win the match. Just like that, Alpine Pipers suffered their 1st loss.
Scorecard Match 9: (9-7)
Player of the match
Replay Match 9 Games
Match 10: CheQ Mumba Masters vs. Ganges Grandmasters (12-3)
CheQ Mumba Masters registered a dominating win over Ganges Grandmasters, and the hero of this match was none other than the last-minute replacement at the Global Chess League, Pranesh M. He is playing incredible chess. After defeating Anish Giri the previous day, Pranesh scored a win over Levon Aronian. His team, CheQ Mumba Masters, scored a huge 12-3 win. Carissa Yip defeated Stavroula Tsolakidou, and on the Prodigy board, Danesvar Bardiya defeated Leon Luke Mendonca.
Scorecard Match 10: (12-3)
Player of the match
Replay Match 10 Games
Match 11: Alpine APL Pipers vs. FYERS American Gambits (15-3)
This was one of the most exciting matches of the day. On the icon board, it was a clash between the former World Champion Magnus Carlsen and 2026 World Championship Challenger Javokhir Sindarov. Magnus did what he has been doing for the last decade: the 'Psychological Warfare'. On the 3rd move itself, he played the move that has been played only twice in over-the-board games and once in correspondence. In the end, the game ended in a draw, but as usual, Magnus proved why he is still number 1.
Scorecard Match 11: (15-3)
Player of the Match
Replay Games of Match 11
Match 12: PGB Alaskan Knights vs. Triveni Continental Kings (6-11)
Triveni Continental Kings scored their 1st win after 3 consecutive defeats. Wei Yi defeated Arjun Erigaisi on the Superstar Men board, and Aravindh Chithambaram won against Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus; Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated in-form Nino Batsiashvili to cross the line for Triveni. On the top board, Vishy had a chance against Alireza, but it slipped, and the game ended in a draw.
Scorecard: Match 12 (6-11)
Player of the Match
Replay Games of Match 12
Results and Pairings
Standings
Format & Scoring at a Glance
6 Franchises, Double Round-Robin: Top teams battle through league play to determine the finalists.
Synchronized 6-Board Matches: 1 Icon, 2 Superstar Men, 2 Superstar Women, and 1 Prodigy per squad.
Unified Colors: A coin toss decides which squad plays all-White or all-Black boards.
Dynamic Points: Win with Black = 4 pts, Win with White = 3 pts, Draw = 1 pt.
Time Control: Rapid 20 minutes per player, with a 2-second increment added only from Move 41.
Photo Gallery: Here
Video Gallery: Here
Live Stream
Venue
Pick Your Fav Team
CheQ Mumba Masters
Ganges Grandmasters
Alpine APL Pipers
PBG Alaskan Knights
Triveni Continental Kings
FYERS American Gambits
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Global Chess League: Official Site, Schedule, Results and Standings
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