Global Chess League 2024: Results, Winner and Final Standings

Overview

Global Chess League 2024 was the second season of the league and the first outside Dubai. Six teams and 36 players played a double round robin at Friends House in Euston, London, from 3 to 11 October 2024, and the top two met in the final on Saturday 12 October.

PBG Alaskan Knights won eight of their ten round-robin matches and qualified for the final with a round to spare. Triveni Continental Kings took second place on the last day by beating Alpine SG Pipers 9-7. In the final Triveni beat PBG in both matches and became the first team to win the Global Chess League twice.

American Gambits played their first season, replacing Chingari Gulf Titans from 2023. The prize fund was USD 1,000,000, with USD 500,000 for the winners and USD 250,000 for the runners-up.

The six teams

1. 1.PBG Alaskan Knights: Anish Giri (Icon), Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Tan Zhongyi, Alina Kashlinskaya, Nihal Sarin.
2. 2.Triveni Continental Kings: Alireza Firouzja (Icon), Wei Yi, Teimour Radjabov, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Valentina Gunina, Javokhir Sindarov.
3. 3.Alpine SG Pipers: Magnus Carlsen (Icon), Kateryna Lagno, Daniel Dardha. The franchise played as SG Alpine Warriors in 2023 and plays as Alpine APL Pipers in 2026.
4. 4.American Gambits: Hikaru Nakamura (Icon). First season of the franchise, which plays as FYERS American Gambits since 2025.
5. 5.upGrad Mumba Masters: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Icon). The franchise plays as CheQ Mumba Masters in 2026.
6. 6.Ganges Grandmasters: Viswanathan Anand (Icon).

Format and scoring

Each team had six players: one Icon rated above 2700, two more men, two women and one Prodigy. The games were rapid with 20 minutes per player and no 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.

The standings were ordered by match points, then game points. The first two teams played a best-of-two final with colours reversed in the second match.

Final standings

Final standings after the double round robin of 30 matches. Triveni Continental Kings and Alpine SG Pipers finished level on 18 match points; Triveni took second place on game points. upGrad Mumba Masters and Ganges Grandmasters finished level on 9 match points and were also separated by game points.

The final

1. 1.Final, match 1 (Triveni Continental Kings with White): Triveni Continental Kings 9, PBG Alaskan Knights 7
2. 2.Final, match 2 (Triveni Continental Kings with Black): Triveni Continental Kings 13, PBG Alaskan Knights 7

Triveni Continental Kings won the final 2-0 on 12 October 2024. PBG Alaskan Knights won the toss and chose Black for the first match, which Triveni won 9-7. Triveni then won the second match 13-7 with Black. Alexandra Kosteniuk beat Tan Zhongyi in both matches and was named Player of the Match. Triveni had lost both round-robin matches against PBG, 3-15 and 8-12.

Awards and prize money

Champions

Triveni Continental Kings

Runners-up

PBG Alaskan Knights

Season MVP

Nihal Sarin (PBG Alaskan Knights)

Player of the final

Alexandra Kosteniuk (Triveni Continental Kings)

Prize money

USD 500,000 to the winners, USD 250,000 to the runners-up

Notable facts

1. 1.PBG Alaskan Knights won eight of ten round-robin matches, scored 114 game points and qualified for the final with a round to spare.
2. 2.Triveni Continental Kings qualified on the last day of the round robin by beating Alpine SG Pipers 9-7: Javokhir Sindarov beat Daniel Dardha and Valentina Gunina beat Kateryna Lagno, while Magnus Carlsen beat Alireza Firouzja on the top board.
3. 3.Earlier in the round robin Triveni had beaten Alpine 17-4, with Firouzja winning against Carlsen.
4. 4.The Icons of the six teams were Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Alireza Firouzja and Hikaru Nakamura.
5. 5.Triveni became the first team to win the Global Chess League twice, after their 2023 title in Dubai.

Other seasons: Global Chess League 2023, Global Chess League 2025, Global Chess League 2026. All champions: winners and past seasons. League overview: Global Chess League.

Frequently asked questions