GCL: Alpine APL Pipers, FYERS American Gambits, Ganges Grandmasters Win 1 Match Each As Just One Game Point Separates The 3 At The Top
India – September 10, 2026: The group stage of 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 just one game point separating the top three teams with just two rounds left to play. Defending champions Alpine APL Pipers , FYERS American Gambits and Ganges Grandmasters now have 15 Match Points after 8…
September 10, 2026 - As the fourth season of the Global Chess League (GCL) in Bengaluru reaches its climax, the group stage has narrowed down to a thrilling finale with just one game point separating the top three teams: Alpine APL Pipers, FYERS American Gambits, and Ganges Grandmasters. Both Alpine APL Pipers and Ganges Grandmasters boast 15 Match Points each after eight rounds, while FYERS American Gambits stand at 14 Match Points, all with two rounds remaining.
On Thursday, Ganges Grandmasters started their day with a dominant 12-4 victory over Alpine APL Pipers playing in black, but fell short in the final game against FYERS American Gambits, losing 13-5. Later, Alpine APL Pipers secured a 11-6 win against PBG Alaskan Knights, while CheQ Mumba Masters maintained their playoff chances with a 14-5 triumph over Triveni Continental Kings.
The day began with the Ganges Grandmasters defeating the Pipers, with Stavroula Tsolakidou contributing a second loss for Koneru Humpy. In the men's Superstar category, Levon Aronian outplayed Anish Giri, winning in 61 moves, and maintained his winning streak by defeating Nihal Sarin. However, FYERS American Gambits lost four out of six matches and gave up their lead.
On the icon board, Candidates 2026 winner Javokhir Sindarov defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi, while Daniil Dubov outmaneuvered Leinier Dominguez Perez. Bibisara Assaubayeva handed Polina Shuvalova her first loss, and Marc'andria Maurizzi scored three points after Luke Leon Mendonca ran out of time. Earlier, Alpine APL Pipers rebounded with a win against Viswanathan Anand, and Koneru Humpy added to her record with her fourth win of the tournament, marking Nino Batsiashvili's first loss of the season.
Only 15-year-old prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus scored four points for Alpine APL Pipers, as Vidit Gujrathi missed out on a win for PBG Alaskan Knights. On the final day, September 11, matches will be held at 5.00 PM (Triveni Continental Kings vs PBG Alaskan Knights), 6.30 PM (Alpine APL Pipers vs FYERS American Gambits), and 8.00 PM (Ganges Grandmasters vs CheQ Mumba Masters).
Written by urgent.news from Free Press Journal's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
