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Global Chess League team

Ganges Grandmasters at the Global Chess League 2026: Squad, Owners and History

The Ganges Grandmasters have played every season of the Global Chess League under the same name, with Viswanathan Anand as Icon from 2023 to 2025. This page covers the 2026 squad board by board, the owners and the team's results in every season.

Who they are

The Ganges Grandmasters are one of the six franchise teams of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. The franchise is owned by Insurekot Sports, the company that also owns the Puneri Paltan team in Pro Kabaddi. It is one of two teams, with Triveni Continental Kings, that have kept the same name since the first season in 2023.

Viswanathan Anand was the team's Icon in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2026 he plays for PBG Alaskan Knights, and Ian Nepomniachtchi is the Ganges Icon. The Grandmasters have not reached a final yet: they finished third in 2023 and third in the 2025 round robin, then lost the third-place playoff.

B. Adhiban coaches the 2026 squad.

The 2026 squad

Ganges Grandmasters logo

Icon

Ian Nepomniachtchi

FIDE flag. Two-time World Championship challenger.

Superstar man

Levon Aronian

United States, after transferring from Armenia in 2021.

Superstar man

Leinier Dominguez

United States. Former World Blitz champion.

Superstar woman

Polina Shuvalova

FIDE flag. Retained from the 2025 squad.

Superstar woman

Stavroula Tsolakidou

Greece. Retained from the 2025 squad.

Prodigy

Leon Mendonca

India. Plays his prodigy board in front of a home crowd.

Ian Nepomniachtchi is the Icon of the 2026 squad. Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez play the two Superstar men's boards, Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou play the two Superstar women's boards, and Leon Luke Mendonca is the Prodigy. B. Adhiban is the coach.

Shuvalova and Tsolakidou both played for the Grandmasters in 2025 and were retained before the 2026 draft. Nepomniachtchi was the Icon of Balan Alaskan Knights in 2023, Aronian was the Icon of the 2023 champions Triveni Continental Kings, Dominguez played for PBG Alaskan Knights in 2025 and Mendonca was in the 2025 title-winning Alpine SG Pipers squad.

2026 season in Bengaluru

Ganges Grandmasters are first in the 2026 standings after 10 matches, with 18 match points and 95 game points. Results last checked on 13 September 2026 at 8:36 PM IST.

  1. 1.Triveni Continental Kings: Ganges Grandmasters 10, Triveni Continental Kings 9
  2. 2.Alpine APL Pipers: Ganges Grandmasters 6, Alpine APL Pipers 11
  3. 3.FYERS American Gambits: Ganges Grandmasters 9, FYERS American Gambits 7
  4. 4.CheQ Mumba Masters: Ganges Grandmasters 3, CheQ Mumba Masters 12
  5. 5.PBG Alaskan Knights: Ganges Grandmasters 12, PBG Alaskan Knights 8
  6. 6.Triveni Continental Kings: Ganges Grandmasters 15, Triveni Continental Kings 3
  7. 7.Alpine APL Pipers: Ganges Grandmasters 12, Alpine APL Pipers 4
  8. 8.FYERS American Gambits: Ganges Grandmasters 5, FYERS American Gambits 13
  9. 9.CheQ Mumba Masters: Ganges Grandmasters 16, CheQ Mumba Masters 1
  10. 10.PBG Alaskan Knights: Ganges Grandmasters 7, PBG Alaskan Knights 9

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, 17:00 IST

Ganges Grandmasters10–9Triveni Continental Kings

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian1–1Firouzja, Alireza
  2. Board 2Aronian, Levon3–0Wei, Yi
  3. Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier0–4Aravindh, Chithambaram VR.
  4. Board 4Shuvalova, Polina3–0Zhu, Jiner
  5. Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula3–0Kosteniuk, Alexandra
  6. Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke0–4Pranav, V

Preliminary stage · Sunday 6 September, 15:30 IST

Ganges Grandmasters6–11Alpine APL Pipers

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian1–1Carlsen, Magnus
  2. Board 2Aronian, Levon1–1Giri, Anish
  3. Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier0–4Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
  4. Board 4Shuvalova, Polina3–0Divya Deshmukh
  5. Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula0–4Koneru, Humpy
  6. Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke1–1Murzin, Volodar

Preliminary stage · Sunday 6 September, 18:30 IST

Ganges Grandmasters9–7FYERS American Gambits

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian3–0Sindarov, Javokhir
  2. Board 2Aronian, Levon0–4Nihal Sarin
  3. Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier1–1Dubov, Daniil
  4. Board 4Shuvalova, Polina3–0Assaubayeva, Bibisara
  5. Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula1–1Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat
  6. Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke1–1Maurizzi, MarcAndria

Preliminary stage · Monday 7 September, 17:00 IST

Ganges Grandmasters3–12CheQ Mumba Masters

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime1–1Nepomniachtchi, Ian
  2. Board 2Pranesh M3–0Aronian, Levon
  3. Board 3Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar1–1Dominguez Perez, Leinier
  4. Board 4Dronavalli, Harika1–1Shuvalova, Polina
  5. Board 5Yip, Carissa3–0Tsolakidou, Stavroula
  6. Board 6Daneshvar, Bardiya3–0Mendonca, Leon Luke

Preliminary stage · Tuesday 8 September, 15:30 IST

Ganges Grandmasters12–8PBG Alaskan Knights

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian3–0Anand, Viswanathan
  2. Board 2Aronian, Levon0–4Erigaisi Arjun
  3. Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier3–0Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan
  4. Board 4Shuvalova, Polina3–0Lagno, Kateryna
  5. Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula0–4Batsiashvili, Nino
  6. Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke3–0Mishra, Abhimanyu

Preliminary stage · Wednesday 9 September, 17:00 IST

Ganges Grandmasters15–3Triveni Continental Kings

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Firouzja, Alireza1–1Nepomniachtchi, Ian
  2. Board 2Wei, Yi1–1Aronian, Levon
  3. Board 3Aravindh, Chithambaram VR.1–1Dominguez Perez, Leinier
  4. Board 4Zhu, Jiner0–4Shuvalova, Polina
  5. Board 5Kosteniuk, Alexandra0–4Tsolakidou, Stavroula
  6. Board 6Pranav, V0–4Mendonca, Leon Luke

Preliminary stage · Thursday 10 September, 15:30 IST

Ganges Grandmasters12–4Alpine APL Pipers

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Carlsen, Magnus1–1Nepomniachtchi, Ian
  2. Board 2Giri, Anish0–4Aronian, Levon
  3. Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi1–1Dominguez Perez, Leinier
  4. Board 4Divya Deshmukh1–1Shuvalova, Polina
  5. Board 5Koneru, Humpy0–4Tsolakidou, Stavroula
  6. Board 6Murzin, Volodar1–1Mendonca, Leon Luke

Preliminary stage · Thursday 10 September, 20:00 IST

Ganges Grandmasters5–13FYERS American Gambits

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Sindarov, Javokhir3–0Nepomniachtchi, Ian
  2. Board 2Nihal Sarin0–4Aronian, Levon
  3. Board 3Dubov, Daniil3–0Dominguez Perez, Leinier
  4. Board 4Assaubayeva, Bibisara3–0Shuvalova, Polina
  5. Board 5Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat1–1Tsolakidou, Stavroula
  6. Board 6Maurizzi, MarcAndria3–0Mendonca, Leon Luke

Preliminary stage · Friday 11 September, 20:00 IST

Ganges Grandmasters16–1CheQ Mumba Masters

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian3–0Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime
  2. Board 2Aronian, Levon3–0Pranesh M
  3. Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier3–0Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar
  4. Board 4Shuvalova, Polina1–1Dronavalli, Harika
  5. Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula3–0Yip, Carissa
  6. Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke3–0Daneshvar, Bardiya

Preliminary stage · Saturday 12 September, 18:30 IST

Ganges Grandmasters7–9PBG Alaskan Knights

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Anand, Viswanathan1–1Nepomniachtchi, Ian
  2. Board 2Erigaisi Arjun1–1Aronian, Levon
  3. Board 3Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan3–0Dominguez Perez, Leinier
  4. Board 4Lagno, Kateryna1–1Shuvalova, Polina
  5. Board 5Batsiashvili, Nino0–4Tsolakidou, Stavroula
  6. Board 6Mishra, Abhimanyu3–0Mendonca, Leon Luke

Final · Sunday 13 September, 18:30 IST

Ganges Grandmasters7–8Alpine APL Pipers

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Nepomniachtchi, Ian1–1Carlsen, Magnus
  2. Board 2Aronian, Levon3–0Giri, Anish
  3. Board 3Dominguez Perez, Leinier1–1Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
  4. Board 4Shuvalova, Polina1–1Divya Deshmukh
  5. Board 5Tsolakidou, Stavroula1–1Koneru, Humpy
  6. Board 6Mendonca, Leon Luke0–4Murzin, Volodar

Final · Sunday 13 September, 19:30 IST

Ganges Grandmasters12–4Alpine APL Pipers

Game points: Black win 4 · White win 3 · Draw 1–1. Points shown as White–Black.

  1. Board 1Carlsen, Magnus0–4Nepomniachtchi, Ian
  2. Board 2Giri, Anish1–1Aronian, Levon
  3. Board 3Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi1–1Dominguez Perez, Leinier
  4. Board 4Divya Deshmukh1–1Shuvalova, Polina
  5. Board 5Koneru, Humpy0–4Tsolakidou, Stavroula
  6. Board 6Murzin, Volodar1–1Mendonca, Leon Luke

Owners and identity

Owner
Insurekot Sports Pvt Ltd, also the owner of Puneri Paltan in Pro Kabaddi
Name
Ganges Grandmasters since 2023
Best finish
Third, 2023
Coach 2026
B. Adhiban

Season by season

2023, Dubai, as Ganges Grandmasters: Third in the round robin, 15 match points, 85 game points. Viswanathan Anand was the Icon, with Hou Yifan and Andrey Esipenko in the squad. The Grandmasters scored the most game points of any team in the season (85), shared the lead after day 4 and finished third on match points, level with SG Alpine Warriors.

Full 2023 results and standings

2024, London, as Ganges Grandmasters: Sixth in the round robin, 9 match points, 69 game points. Anand was again the Icon. The team won three of ten matches, level on match points with upGrad Mumba Masters, and finished sixth on game points.

Full 2024 results and standings

2025, Mumbai, as Ganges Grandmasters: Fourth; third in the round robin, 15 match points, 83 game points. Anand was the Icon, with Vincent Keymer, Javokhir Sindarov, Stavroula Tsolakidou, Polina Shuvalova and Raunak Sadhwani. The Grandmasters missed the final by one game point behind Alpine SG Pipers (83 to 84). In the third-place playoff against PBG Alaskan Knights they won the first rapid match 4-2, lost the second 2.5-3.5 and then lost both blitz matches, 2.5-3.5 and 2-4.

Full 2025 results and standings

Notable players

  1. 1.Viswanathan Anand: Icon of the Grandmasters in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
  2. 2.Hou Yifan: on the Ganges women's board in 2023, before winning the 2025 title with Alpine SG Pipers.
  3. 3.Ian Nepomniachtchi: the 2026 Icon, previously Icon of Balan Alaskan Knights in 2023.
  4. 4.Levon Aronian: Icon of the 2023 champions Triveni Continental Kings, now on a Superstar men's board for Ganges.
  5. 5.Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou: the two players kept from the 2025 squad.

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 Ganges Grandmasters in 2026?

Ian Nepomniachtchi is the Icon, Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez are the Superstar men, Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou are the Superstar women, and Leon Luke Mendonca is the Prodigy. B. Adhiban is the coach.

Who owns the Ganges Grandmasters?

Insurekot Sports Pvt Ltd, which also owns the Puneri Paltan franchise in Pro Kabaddi.

Have the Ganges Grandmasters reached a Global Chess League final?

Not yet. Their best finishes are third in 2023 and third in the 2025 round robin, after which they lost the third-place playoff to PBG Alaskan Knights and finished fourth.

Who was the Ganges Grandmasters Icon before 2026?

Viswanathan Anand, in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He plays for PBG Alaskan Knights in 2026.

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