Global Chess League players

Anish Giri at the Global Chess League

Grandmaster, Netherlands. Alpine APL Pipers, Superstar, men's boards.

Anish Giri is a grandmaster from the Netherlands and a regular in the world's top ten for more than a decade. He is known for deep opening preparation and a positional style that rarely loses.

FIDE title
Grandmaster
Federation
Netherlands
2026 team
Alpine APL Pipers
2026 board
Superstar, men's boards
Seasons
2024, 2025, 2026
FIDE id
24116068

Giri has played two Global Chess League seasons and reached the final in both. He was the Icon of the PBG Alaskan Knights in London in 2024 and won the title with the Alpine SG Pipers in Mumbai in 2025, where he was named Player of the Final. He is the only member of that champion squad the franchise kept for 2026.

In the 2026 season Giri plays for the Alpine APL Pipers on one of the two Superstar men's boards. The season runs from 5 to 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India.

Global Chess League record

In 2024 the PBG Alaskan Knights, with Giri on the Icon board, topped the league stage with 24 match points. In the final they lost both matches to the Triveni Continental Kings, 7-9 and 7-13; Giri lost to Alireza Firouzja in the first match and won his game in the second.

In 2025 Giri moved to the Alpine SG Pipers and played on one of the men's Superstar boards. The Pipers beat the Triveni Continental Kings 4-2 and 4.5-1.5 in the final. Giri beat Wei Yi in both games with Black and was named Player of the Final.

  1. 1.2024: PBG Alaskan Knights, Icon. Team result: runners-up. The Knights topped the league stage with 24 match points and lost the final to the Triveni Continental Kings.
  2. 2.2025: Alpine SG Pipers, Superstar (men's boards). Team result: champions. Player of the Final: won both his games against Wei Yi with the black pieces.

Career highlights

  1. 1.Won the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee in 2023, the strongest annual round-robin in the calendar.
  2. 2.Won the FIDE Grand Swiss in 2025, which qualified him for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, his third Candidates after 2016 and 2021.
  3. 3.Has won the Dutch championship several times and has led the Netherlands at the Chess Olympiad since his teens.
  4. 4.Global Chess League champion in 2025 and Player of the Final with two wins as Black against Wei Yi.
  5. 5.Icon of the 2024 PBG Alaskan Knights, the team that topped the London league stage.
  6. 6.On the September 2026 FIDE rating list, Giri is rated 2757 in classical chess, 2660 in rapid and 2636 in blitz.

2026 season

Anish Giri plays the 2026 season with the Alpine APL Pipers, which runs from 5 to 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India. Giri's squad mates are Magnus Carlsen, 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: 10
  • Match points: 18
  • Game points: 88
  • Position: 2 of 6
  1. 1.Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST: CheQ Mumba Masters 8–10 Alpine APL Pipers
  2. 2.Sunday 6 September, 15:30 IST: Ganges Grandmasters 6–11 Alpine APL Pipers
  3. 3.Monday 7 September, 15:30 IST: PBG Alaskan Knights 9–7 Alpine APL Pipers
  4. 4.Monday 7 September, 18:30 IST: FYERS American Gambits 3–15 Alpine APL Pipers
  5. 5.Tuesday 8 September, 18:30 IST: Triveni Continental Kings 10–4 Alpine APL Pipers
  6. 6.Wednesday 9 September, 15:30 IST: Alpine APL Pipers 11–6 CheQ Mumba Masters
  7. 7.Thursday 10 September, 15:30 IST: Alpine APL Pipers 4–12 Ganges Grandmasters
  8. 8.Thursday 10 September, 18:30 IST: Alpine APL Pipers 11–6 PBG Alaskan Knights
  9. 9.Friday 11 September, 18:30 IST: Alpine APL Pipers 9–7 FYERS American Gambits
  10. 10.Saturday 12 September, 17:00 IST: Triveni Continental Kings 11–6 Alpine APL Pipers

Results were last checked on 13 September 2026 at 8:36 PM IST.

The 2026 final is in progress. Scores so far: Finals | Game 1: Alpine APL Pipers 8, Ganges Grandmasters 7; Finals | Game 2: Alpine APL Pipers 4, Ganges Grandmasters 12.

2026 games

Giri has 12 finished games in the 2026 season: 1 win, 8 draws, 3 losses, 11 team points earned.

  1. 1.Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST: board 2, Black against Pranesh M (CheQ Mumba Masters), loss.
  2. 2.Sunday 6 September, 15:30 IST: board 2, Black against Aronian, Levon (Ganges Grandmasters), draw.
  3. 3.Monday 7 September, 15:30 IST: board 2, Black against Erigaisi Arjun (PBG Alaskan Knights), draw.
  4. 4.Monday 7 September, 18:30 IST: board 2, Black against Nihal Sarin (FYERS American Gambits), draw.
  5. 5.Tuesday 8 September, 18:30 IST: board 2, Black against Wei, Yi (Triveni Continental Kings), draw.
  6. 6.Wednesday 9 September, 15:30 IST: board 2, White against Pranesh M (CheQ Mumba Masters), win.
  7. 7.Thursday 10 September, 15:30 IST: board 2, White against Aronian, Levon (Ganges Grandmasters), loss.
  8. 8.Thursday 10 September, 18:30 IST: board 2, White against Erigaisi Arjun (PBG Alaskan Knights), draw.
  9. 9.Friday 11 September, 18:30 IST: board 2, White against Nihal Sarin (FYERS American Gambits), draw.
  10. 10.Saturday 12 September, 17:00 IST: board 2, White against Wei, Yi (Triveni Continental Kings), draw.
  11. 11.Sunday 13 September, 18:30 IST: board 2, Black against Aronian, Levon (Ganges Grandmasters), loss.
  12. 12.Sunday 13 September, 19:30 IST: board 2, White against Aronian, Levon (Ganges Grandmasters), draw.

Daily reports mentioning Giri

  1. 1.Day 5: Gambits hold lead in three-way tie
  2. 2.Day 6: Three teams share first with one point between them
  3. 3.The final: Grandmasters force a split with two Black wins

Frequently asked questions

Which team does Giri play for in the Global Chess League 2026?

Anish Giri plays for the Alpine APL Pipers in the 2026 season in Bengaluru, India, on one of the two Superstar men's boards.

Has Giri won the Global Chess League?

Yes. Giri won the 2025 title with the Alpine SG Pipers and was named Player of the Final after beating Wei Yi twice with Black. In 2024 he was the Icon of the PBG Alaskan Knights, who topped the league stage and lost the final to the Triveni Continental Kings. The 2026 final is in progress. Scores so far: Finals | Game 1: Alpine APL Pipers 8, Ganges Grandmasters 7; Finals | Game 2: Alpine APL Pipers 4, Ganges Grandmasters 12.

What is Giri's FIDE rating?

On the September 2026 FIDE rating list, Anish Giri is rated 2757 in classical chess, 2660 in rapid and 2636 in blitz.

Where can I watch Giri 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.

Was Anish Giri retained by the Pipers for 2026?

Yes. Giri is the only player from the 2025 champion squad of the Alpine SG Pipers whom the franchise kept for the 2026 season, when it plays as 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.

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