Global Chess League team
Alpine APL Pipers at the Global Chess League 2026: Squad, Owners and History
The Alpine APL Pipers are the reigning champions of the Global Chess League. This page covers the 2026 squad board by board, the owners, the team's three names since 2023 and its results in every season.
Who they are
The Alpine APL Pipers are one of the six franchise teams of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. The franchise is owned by SG Sports, the sports business led by the APL Apollo group. It is the only team other than Triveni Continental Kings to have won the league: the Pipers beat the Kings 2-0 in the 2025 final in Mumbai.
The team has played under three names. In the first season in Dubai in 2023 it was the SG Alpine Warriors. In 2024 and 2025 it was the Alpine SG Pipers, the name under which it won the 2025 title. For the 2026 season in Bengaluru it plays as the Alpine APL Pipers, with APL Apollo in the team name.
Magnus Carlsen has been the team's Icon in 2023, 2024 and 2026. He did not play in 2025, when Fabiano Caruana was the Icon of the title-winning squad.
The 2026 squad
Superstar woman
India. Won the 2025 Women's World Cup, beating Koneru Humpy in the final. They now share a team.
Superstar woman
India. Former Women's World Rapid champion and the country's most decorated woman player.
Magnus Carlsen is the Icon of the 2026 squad. Anish Giri and Vidit Gujrathi play the two Superstar men's boards, Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy play the two Superstar women's boards, and Volodar Murzin is the Prodigy. Pravin Thipsay is the coach.
Giri is the one player the Pipers retained from the 2025 title-winning squad before the 2026 draft; he was the MVP of the 2025 final after beating Wei Yi in both matches. Humpy and Vidit both played for upGrad Mumba Masters in 2023, and Murzin played for FYERS American Gambits in 2025.
2026 season in Bengaluru
Alpine APL Pipers are second in the 2026 standings after 10 matches, with 18 match points and 88 game points. Results last checked on 13 September 2026 at 8:36 PM IST.
- 1.CheQ Mumba Masters: Alpine APL Pipers 10, CheQ Mumba Masters 8
- 2.Ganges Grandmasters: Alpine APL Pipers 11, Ganges Grandmasters 6
- 3.PBG Alaskan Knights: Alpine APL Pipers 7, PBG Alaskan Knights 9
- 4.FYERS American Gambits: Alpine APL Pipers 15, FYERS American Gambits 3
- 5.Triveni Continental Kings: Alpine APL Pipers 4, Triveni Continental Kings 10
- 6.CheQ Mumba Masters: Alpine APL Pipers 11, CheQ Mumba Masters 6
- 7.Ganges Grandmasters: Alpine APL Pipers 4, Ganges Grandmasters 12
- 8.PBG Alaskan Knights: Alpine APL Pipers 11, PBG Alaskan Knights 6
- 9.FYERS American Gambits: Alpine APL Pipers 9, FYERS American Gambits 7
- 10.Triveni Continental Kings: Alpine APL Pipers 6, Triveni Continental Kings 11
Full table and fixtures: GCL 2026 points table, schedule, GCL 2026 overview.
Board-by-board results
Every finished match of the team, board by board. A win with White is worth 3 game points, a win with Black 4, and a draw 1 for each team. Player names link to the player profiles.
Preliminary stage · Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers10–8CheQ Mumba Masters
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime1–1Carlsen, Magnus
- Board 2Pranesh M3–0Giri, Anish
- Board 3Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar0–4Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
- Board 4Dronavalli, Harika3–0Divya Deshmukh
- Board 5Yip, Carissa0–4Koneru, Humpy
- Board 6Daneshvar, Bardiya1–1Murzin, Volodar
Preliminary stage · Sunday 6 September, 15:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers11–6Ganges Grandmasters
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian1–1Carlsen, Magnus
- Board 2Aronian, Levon1–1Giri, Anish
- Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier0–4Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
- Board 4Shuvalova, Polina3–0Divya Deshmukh
- Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula0–4Koneru, Humpy
- Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke1–1Murzin, Volodar
Preliminary stage · Monday 7 September, 15:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers7–9PBG Alaskan Knights
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Anand, Viswanathan0–4Carlsen, Magnus
- Board 2Erigaisi Arjun1–1Giri, Anish
- Board 3Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan3–0Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
- Board 4Lagno, Kateryna1–1Divya Deshmukh
- Board 5Batsiashvili, Nino3–0Koneru, Humpy
- Board 6Mishra, Abhimanyu1–1Murzin, Volodar
Preliminary stage · Monday 7 September, 18:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers15–3FYERS American Gambits
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Sindarov, Javokhir1–1Carlsen, Magnus
- Board 2Nihal Sarin1–1Giri, Anish
- Board 3Dubov, Daniil0–4Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
- Board 4Assaubayeva, Bibisara1–1Divya Deshmukh
- Board 5Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat0–4Koneru, Humpy
- Board 6Maurizzi, MarcAndria0–4Murzin, Volodar
Preliminary stage · Tuesday 8 September, 18:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers4–10Triveni Continental Kings
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Firouzja, Alireza1–1Carlsen, Magnus
- Board 2Wei, Yi1–1Giri, Anish
- Board 3Aravindh, Chithambaram VR.3–0Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
- Board 4Zhu, Jiner1–1Divya Deshmukh
- Board 5Kosteniuk, Alexandra1–1Koneru, Humpy
- Board 6Pranav, V3–0Murzin, Volodar
Preliminary stage · Wednesday 9 September, 15:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers11–6CheQ Mumba Masters
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Carlsen, Magnus3–0Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime
- Board 2Giri, Anish3–0Pranesh M
- Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi1–1Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar
- Board 4Divya Deshmukh0–4Dronavalli, Harika
- Board 5Koneru, Humpy1–1Yip, Carissa
- Board 6Murzin, Volodar3–0Daneshvar, Bardiya
Preliminary stage · Thursday 10 September, 15:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers4–12Ganges Grandmasters
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Carlsen, Magnus1–1Nepomniachtchi, Ian
- Board 2Giri, Anish0–4Aronian, Levon
- Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi1–1Dominguez Perez, Leinier
- Board 4Divya Deshmukh1–1Shuvalova, Polina
- Board 5Koneru, Humpy0–4Tsolakidou, Stavroula
- Board 6Murzin, Volodar1–1Mendonca, Leon Luke
Preliminary stage · Thursday 10 September, 18:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers11–6PBG Alaskan Knights
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Carlsen, Magnus3–0Anand, Viswanathan
- Board 2Giri, Anish1–1Erigaisi Arjun
- Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi0–4Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan
- Board 4Divya Deshmukh1–1Lagno, Kateryna
- Board 5Koneru, Humpy3–0Batsiashvili, Nino
- Board 6Murzin, Volodar3–0Mishra, Abhimanyu
Preliminary stage · Friday 11 September, 18:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers9–7FYERS American Gambits
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Carlsen, Magnus3–0Sindarov, Javokhir
- Board 2Giri, Anish1–1Nihal Sarin
- Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi3–0Dubov, Daniil
- Board 4Divya Deshmukh0–4Assaubayeva, Bibisara
- Board 5Koneru, Humpy1–1Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat
- Board 6Murzin, Volodar1–1Maurizzi, MarcAndria
Preliminary stage · Saturday 12 September, 17:00 IST
Alpine APL Pipers6–11Triveni Continental Kings
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Carlsen, Magnus0–4Firouzja, Alireza
- Board 2Giri, Anish1–1Wei, Yi
- Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi0–4Aravindh, Chithambaram VR.
- Board 4Divya Deshmukh1–1Zhu, Jiner
- Board 5Koneru, Humpy1–1Kosteniuk, Alexandra
- Board 6Murzin, Volodar3–0Pranav, V
Final · Sunday 13 September, 18:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers8–7Ganges Grandmasters
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian1–1Carlsen, Magnus
- Board 2Aronian, Levon3–0Giri, Anish
- Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier1–1Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
- Board 4Shuvalova, Polina1–1Divya Deshmukh
- Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula1–1Koneru, Humpy
- Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke0–4Murzin, Volodar
Final · Sunday 13 September, 19:30 IST
Alpine APL Pipers4–12Ganges Grandmasters
Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.
- Board 1Carlsen, Magnus0–4Nepomniachtchi, Ian
- Board 2Giri, Anish1–1Aronian, Levon
- Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi1–1Dominguez Perez, Leinier
- Board 4Divya Deshmukh1–1Shuvalova, Polina
- Board 5Koneru, Humpy0–4Tsolakidou, Stavroula
- Board 6Murzin, Volodar1–1Mendonca, Leon Luke
Owners and identity
- Owner
- SG Sports, the APL Apollo-led sports, media and entertainment business
- Names
- SG Alpine Warriors (2023), Alpine SG Pipers (2024, 2025), Alpine APL Pipers (2026)
- Titles
- Global Chess League 2025
- Best round-robin finish
- Second, 2025
- Coach 2026
- Pravin Thipsay
Season by season
2023, Dubai, as SG Alpine Warriors: Fourth in the round robin, 15 match points, 78 game points. With Magnus Carlsen on the top board, the Warriors won both matches on day 4 and led the standings at that point. They finished fourth, level on match points with third-placed Ganges Grandmasters. R Praggnanandhaa was named King of the series, the award for the best male player of the season.
Full 2023 results and standings
2024, London, as Alpine SG Pipers: Third in the round robin, 18 match points, 88 game points. The Pipers, again with Carlsen as Icon, went into the last round in second place, three match points ahead of Triveni Continental Kings, and lost the direct match 7-9. That put Triveni level on 18 match points and ahead on game points, so Triveni went to the final. Earlier in the event Triveni had beaten the Pipers 17-4, with Alireza Firouzja winning against Carlsen; in the last round Carlsen won the return game.
Full 2024 results and standings
2025, Mumbai, as Alpine SG Pipers: Champions; second in the round robin, 15 match points, 84 game points. Fabiano Caruana was the Icon, with R Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, Hou Yifan, Nino Batsiashvili and Leon Luke Mendonca. Hou Yifan won three games in a row with Black to carry the team into the final, which they reached one game point ahead of Ganges Grandmasters despite losing 6-11 to PBG Alaskan Knights in the last round. In the final they beat Triveni Continental Kings 4-2 and 4.5-1.5. Giri was MVP of the final and Hou Yifan was Female Player of the Tournament.
Full 2025 results and standings
Notable players
- 1.Magnus Carlsen: Icon in 2023, 2024 and 2026, and the top board when the team led the first season after day 4 in Dubai.
- 2.Anish Giri: MVP of the 2025 final and the player the Pipers retained for 2026. He was the Icon of PBG Alaskan Knights when they reached the 2024 final.
- 3.R Praggnanandhaa: King of the series in 2023 as an SG Alpine Warrior, and part of the 2025 title squad.
- 4.Hou Yifan: Female Player of the Tournament in 2025; her three straight wins with Black took the Pipers into the final. She played for Ganges Grandmasters in 2023.
- 5.Koneru Humpy: on the Superstar women's board in 2026 after playing for upGrad Mumba Masters in 2023 and 2025.
More on the league: Global Chess League overview, winners and past seasons, Global Chess League 2026, all 2026 squads.
Frequently asked questions
Who plays for the Alpine APL Pipers in 2026?
Magnus Carlsen is the Icon, Anish Giri and Vidit Gujrathi are the Superstar men, Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy are the Superstar women, and Volodar Murzin is the Prodigy. Pravin Thipsay is the coach.
Who owns the Alpine APL Pipers?
The franchise is owned by SG Sports, the APL Apollo-led sports, media and entertainment business. APL Apollo's name is part of the 2026 team name.
What were the Alpine APL Pipers called before?
SG Alpine Warriors in the first season in Dubai in 2023, then Alpine SG Pipers in London in 2024 and Mumbai in 2025. The name Alpine APL Pipers is used from the 2026 season in Bengaluru.
Have the Alpine APL Pipers won the Global Chess League?
Yes. As Alpine SG Pipers they won the 2025 title in Mumbai, beating Triveni Continental Kings 4-2 and 4.5-1.5 in the final. They are the reigning champions in 2026.
