Global Chess League 2023: Results, Winner and Final Standings

Overview

Global Chess League 2023 was the first season of the league, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE. The opening ceremony was in Dubai on 21 June 2023, the six teams then played a double round robin, and the final was played on 2 July at the Le Meridien hotel in Dubai.

Triveni Continental Kings were last after six matches with two wins, then won their last four matches to finish first. In the final they beat upGrad Mumba Masters after two rapid matches and two blitz matches were split 1-1 each, in a sudden-death round of single games decided by Jonas Bjerre's win over Javokhir Sindarov.

The prize fund was USD 1,000,000, with USD 500,000 for the winners. Three of the six team names from 2023 are gone: Chingari Gulf Titans left the league after this season, Balan Alaskan Knights became PBG Alaskan Knights and SG Alpine Warriors became Alpine SG Pipers in 2024.

The six teams

1. 1.Triveni Continental Kings: Levon Aronian (Icon), Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi, Kateryna Lagno, Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, Jonas Buhl Bjerre.
2. 2.upGrad Mumba Masters: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Icon), Alexander Grischuk, Vidit Gujrathi, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, Javokhir Sindarov. The franchise plays as CheQ Mumba Masters in 2026.
3. 3.Ganges Grandmasters: Viswanathan Anand (Icon), Hou Yifan, Andrey Esipenko.
4. 4.SG Alpine Warriors: Magnus Carlsen, R Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh. The franchise was renamed Alpine SG Pipers in 2024 and Alpine APL Pipers in 2026.
5. 5.Chingari Gulf Titans: Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Nihal Sarin. The team played only in 2023 and was replaced by American Gambits in 2024.
6. 6.Balan Alaskan Knights: Ian Nepomniachtchi (Icon), Tan Zhongyi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Raunak Sadhwani. The franchise plays as PBG Alaskan Knights since 2024.

Format and scoring

Each team had six players on six boards: one Icon, two Superstar men, two Superstar women and one Prodigy. The games were rapid with 15 minutes per player and a 10-second increment. A win with Black scored 4 game points, a win with White 3, a draw 1 for each side. The team with more game points won the match and 3 match points; a match tied on game points gave 1 match point to each team, which happened once.

The standings were ordered by match points, then game points. The first two teams played the final as the best of two rapid matches, followed by two blitz matches and then sudden-death single games while the score stayed level.

Final standings

Final standings after the double round robin of 30 matches. One match, upGrad Mumba Masters against Chingari Gulf Titans, was tied on game points and gave each team 1 match point. Ganges Grandmasters and SG Alpine Warriors finished level on 15 match points and were separated by game points.

The final

1. 1.Final, rapid match 1 (Triveni Continental Kings with White): Triveni Continental Kings 9, upGrad Mumba Masters 7
2. 2.Final, rapid match 2: upGrad Mumba Masters 12, Triveni Continental Kings 3
3. 3.Final, blitz match 1: upGrad Mumba Masters 14, Triveni Continental Kings 5
4. 4.Final, blitz match 2: Triveni Continental Kings 13, upGrad Mumba Masters 7
5. 5.Final, sudden death: Three draws (Khademalsharieh against Harika, Grischuk against Yu Yangyi, Lagno against Humpy), then Jonas Bjerre beat Javokhir Sindarov with Black

The final on 2 July 2023 went the full distance. Triveni Continental Kings won the first rapid match 9-7 with White and upGrad Mumba Masters won the second 12-3. The blitz matches were also split: Mumba won 14-5, Triveni won 13-7. In sudden death, single games board by board, three games were drawn before Jonas Bjerre beat Javokhir Sindarov with Black to give Triveni the title.

Awards and prize money

Champions

Triveni Continental Kings

Runners-up

upGrad Mumba Masters

King of the series

R Praggnanandhaa (SG Alpine Warriors)

Queen of the series

Tan Zhongyi (Balan Alaskan Knights)

King of the match (final)

Jonas Buhl Bjerre (Triveni Continental Kings)

Queen of the match (final)

Kateryna Lagno (Triveni Continental Kings)

Prize money

USD 500,000 to the winners from a USD 1,000,000 fund

Notable facts

1. 1.Triveni Continental Kings were last in the table after six matches, with two wins and four losses, and then won their last four matches to finish first.
2. 2.SG Alpine Warriors, with Magnus Carlsen on the top board, won both matches on day 4 and led the standings at that point.
3. 3.Ganges Grandmasters scored the most game points of the season (85) but finished third on match points.
4. 4.Balan Alaskan Knights scored 84 game points, the second-highest total, and still finished last on 12 match points.
5. 5.The 2023 final is the only Global Chess League final so far that went to sudden death.

Other seasons: Global Chess League 2024, Global Chess League 2025, Global Chess League 2026. All champions: winners and past seasons. League overview: Global Chess League.

Frequently asked questions