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The fourth edition of the Global Chess League (GCL 2026) has concluded in Bengaluru. The tournament took place from September 5 to September 13 and saw a new champion crowned, with Ganges Grandmasters winning their maiden title in the championship.
Ganges Grandmasters defeated Alpine APL Pipers in the final by an overall score of 7-5 to taste victory and lift the GCL 2026 title.
The star of the dhow of ganges was Ian Nepomniachtchi's who led a stunning upset over World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. In this article we will go through the details of finals.
Global Chess League 2026 Final: Match Summary
The final match of the Global Chess League 2026 was held at The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru where Ganges Grandmasters played against Alpine APL Pipers in a knockout tie consisting of 2 legs, resulting in an aggregate score of 7-5 favoring Ganges Grandmasters.
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Match Leg 1 (Ganges playing white): In the first leg, the match ended in a 3-3 draw with Ganges Grandmasters winning in leg one. The Ganges team took the lead after the win by Levon Aronian against Alpine on board 2, while Volodar Murzin of Alpine leveled the scores for Alpine with his win on board 6.
Match Leg 2 (Alpine playing white): The reverse leg witnessed Ganges Grandmasters win by 4-2. The highlight of the leg was the win by Icon player Ian Nepomniachtchi against Magnus Carlsen on board 1 while Stavroula Tsolakidou beat Koneru Humpy on board 5.
Global Chess League 2026 Final: Leg 1 Table
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Board
|
Category
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Ganges
|
Alpine
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Score
|
Result
|
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Board 1
|
Icon Board
|
Ian Nepomniachtchi
|
Magnus Carlsen
|
0.5 – 0.5
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Draw
|
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Board 2
|
Superstar (Men)
|
Levon Aronian
|
Anish Giri
|
1 – 0
|
Ganges Win
|
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Board 3
|
Superstar (Men)
|
Leinier Domínguez
|
Vidit Gujrathi
|
0.5 – 0.5
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Draw
|
|
Board 4
|
Superstar (Women)
|
Polina Shuvalova
|
Divya Deshmukh
|
0.5 – 0.5
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Draw
|
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Board 5
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Superstar (Women)
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Stavroula Tsolakidou
|
Koneru Humpy
|
0.5 – 0.5
|
Draw
|
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Board 6
|
Prodigy (U-21)
|
Leon Luke Mendonca
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Volodar Murzin
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0 – 1
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Alpine Win
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Total
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Leg 1 Outcome
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Ganges Grandmasters
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Alpine APL Pipers
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3 – 3
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Draw
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Global Chess League 2026 Final: Leg 2 Table
|
Board
|
Category
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Alpine
|
Ganges
|
Score
|
Result
|
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Board 1
|
Icon Board
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Magnus Carlsen
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Ian Nepomniachtchi
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0 – 1
|
Ganges Win
|
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Board 2
|
Superstar (Men)
|
Anish Giri
|
Levon Aronian
|
0.5 – 0.5
|
Draw
|
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Board 3
|
Superstar (Men)
|
Vidit Gujrathi
|
Leinier Domínguez
|
0.5 – 0.5
|
Draw
|
|
Board 4
|
Superstar (Women)
|
Divya Deshmukh
|
Polina Shuvalova
|
0.5 – 0.5
|
Draw
|
|
Board 5
|
Superstar (Women)
|
Koneru Humpy
|
Stavroula Tsolakidou
|
0 – 1
|
Ganges Win
|
|
Board 6
|
Prodigy (U-21)
|
Volodar Murzin
|
Leon Luke Mendonca
|
0.5 – 0.5
|
Draw
|
|
Total
|
Leg 2 Outcome
|
Alpine APL Pipers
|
Ganges Grandmasters
|
2 – 4
|
Ganges Win
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Global Chess League : Total Prize Money
The total prize money for Global Chess League stands at 1 Million USD ( INR 9.58 crore). Below are the complete breakdown of all prize money.
Standings-Based Fund ($500,000 Total):
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1st Place (Champions - Ganges Grandmasters): $250,000
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2nd Place (Runners-Up - Alpine APL Pipers): $125,000
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3rd Place (FYERS American Gambits): $75,000
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4th Place (CheQ Mumba Masters): $50,000
Winner's Champion Bonus: $50,000 (awarded exclusively to the winning franchise).
Game Points Performance Pool ($450,000 Total): Distributed dynamically across all 6 teams