Global Chess League players
Magnus Carlsen at the Global Chess League
Grandmaster, Norway. Alpine APL Pipers, Icon (board one).
Magnus Carlsen is a grandmaster from Norway and the highest-rated chess player in the world. He won the classical world championship in 2013 and defended it four times before he chose not to play the 2023 title match.
- FIDE title
- Grandmaster
- Federation
- Norway
- 2026 team
- Alpine APL Pipers
- 2026 board
- Icon (board one)
- Seasons
- 2023, 2024, 2026
- FIDE id
- 1503014
Carlsen was the Icon player of the SG Alpine Warriors in the first Global Chess League season in Dubai in 2023 and of the Alpine SG Pipers in London in 2024. He did not play the 2025 season in Mumbai. The same franchise, now the Alpine APL Pipers, brought him back for 2026.
In the 2026 season Carlsen plays for the Alpine APL Pipers on board one as the team's Icon. The season runs from 5 to 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India.
Global Chess League record
In 2023 the SG Alpine Warriors finished fourth in the six-team table on 15 match points, level on match points with third-placed Ganges Grandmasters. The final was played between the Triveni Continental Kings and the upGrad Mumba Masters.
In 2024 the Alpine SG Pipers did not reach the final in London, which the Triveni Continental Kings won against the PBG Alaskan Knights. Carlsen sat out the 2025 season, when the Pipers won the title with Fabiano Caruana on the Icon board.
- 1.2023: SG Alpine Warriors, Icon. Team result: fourth. Squad with Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa, Elisabeth Paehtz and Irina Krush.
- 2.2024: Alpine SG Pipers, Icon. Team result: did not reach the final. Squad with Praggnanandhaa, Richard Rapport, Hou Yifan, Kateryna Lagno and Daniel Dardha.
Career highlights
- 1.World champion from 2013 to 2023: he beat Viswanathan Anand in 2013 and 2014, Sergey Karjakin in 2016, Fabiano Caruana in 2018 and Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2021.
- 2.Won his fifth World Rapid Championship in December 2023 and has also won the World Blitz Championship several times; he is the only player to have held the classical, rapid and blitz world titles at the same time.
- 3.His classical rating peaked at 2882 in May 2014, the highest rating ever recorded.
- 4.Has been the world number one on the FIDE classical list without interruption since July 2011.
- 5.Returns to the league in 2026 after a season away, again as the Icon of the Alpine franchise.
- 6.On the September 2026 FIDE rating list, Carlsen is rated 2823 in classical chess, 2803 in rapid and 2860 in blitz.
2026 season
Magnus Carlsen plays the 2026 season with the Alpine APL Pipers, which runs from 5 to 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India. Carlsen's squad mates are Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Divya Deshmukh, Koneru Humpy and Volodar Murzin.
Each Global Chess League match is played on six boards of rapid chess, one board per squad member, and a win with Black earns the team more game points than a win with White. The format and scoring page explains the points. Matches are streamed free; the how-to-watch page lists the streams and the IST start times.
- Matches played: 4
- Match points: 9
- Game points: 43
- Position: 1 of 6
- 1.Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST: CheQ Mumba Masters 8–10 Alpine APL Pipers
- 2.Sunday 6 September, 15:30 IST: Ganges Grandmasters 6–11 Alpine APL Pipers
- 3.Monday 7 September, 15:30 IST: PBG Alaskan Knights 9–7 Alpine APL Pipers
- 4.Monday 7 September, 18:30 IST: FYERS American Gambits 3–15 Alpine APL Pipers
Results were last checked on 7 September 2026 at 8:44 PM IST.
The 2026 final is scheduled for Sunday 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India. The champion appears here after the final.
2026 games
Carlsen has 4 finished games in the 2026 season: 1 win, 3 draws, 0 losses, 7 team points earned.
- 1.Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST: board 1, Black against Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime (CheQ Mumba Masters), draw.
- 2.Sunday 6 September, 15:30 IST: board 1, Black against Nepomniachtchi, Ian (Ganges Grandmasters), draw.
- 3.Monday 7 September, 15:30 IST: board 1, Black against Anand, Viswanathan (PBG Alaskan Knights), win.
- 4.Monday 7 September, 18:30 IST: board 1, Black against Sindarov, Javokhir (FYERS American Gambits), draw.
Frequently asked questions
Which team does Carlsen play for in the Global Chess League 2026?
Magnus Carlsen plays for the Alpine APL Pipers in the 2026 season in Bengaluru, India, on board one as the team's Icon.
Has Carlsen won the Global Chess League?
No. Carlsen has played two seasons: the SG Alpine Warriors finished fourth in 2023 and the Alpine SG Pipers did not reach the final in 2024. The 2026 final is scheduled for Sunday 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India. The champion appears here after the final.
What is Carlsen's FIDE rating?
On the September 2026 FIDE rating list, Magnus Carlsen is rated 2823 in classical chess, 2803 in rapid and 2860 in blitz.
Where can I watch Carlsen play in the Global Chess League 2026?
The 2026 season is streamed free on the Global Chess League YouTube channel and its partner channels. Every Alpine APL Pipers match is a six-board rapid match; the start times in IST are on the schedule and how-to-watch pages of this site.
Did Magnus Carlsen play in the 2025 Global Chess League?
No. He did not play the 2025 season in Mumbai. The Alpine SG Pipers won that season with Fabiano Caruana on the Icon board. Carlsen returns for the 2026 season in Bengaluru with the Alpine APL Pipers.
More on the league: the Global Chess League 2026 hub, the schedule, the points table and the league overview with every season since 2023.