Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 5 (ANI): Defending champions Alpine APL Pipers kicked off their campaign with a fighting win with black pieces over CheQ Mumba Masters 10-8 while two-time winners Triveni Continental Kings suffered a 9-10 reversal against Ganges Grandmasters and FYERS American Gambits defeated PBG Alaskan Knights 10-4 on the opening day the Global Chess League (GCL). 

The opening day of the GCL Season 4 got off to a blockbuster start as hundreds of chess fans stormed to the venue to watch the world's best players in action, and they were treated to some high-quality chess.

With world number 1 Magnus Carlsen returning to the Pipers' fold after a hiatus of a year, all eyes were on how the defending champions would start their campaign against the formidable Mumba Masters.

The holders were put under early pressure as Mumba Masters' M Pranesh defeated Anish Giri on the Superstar Men's board. But Player of the Match Vidit Gujrathi brought his team back into the contest as his strong positional play was enough to beat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.

The experienced Koneru Humpy then defeated Carissa Yip to put the Pipers in a strong position. However, D Harika then inflicted a heart-breaking loss over women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh to make it two wins each for both the teams, as per a press release. 

Carlsen was solid on the icon board against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and that was enough to ensure a winning start for his team.

Earlier, two-time champions Triveni Continental Kings strategy to play with black pieces against Ganges Grandmasters after winning the toss made it the day's most exciting encounter with five of the six games ending in a result.

The experienced Levon Aronian gave the Ganges Grandmasters a solid start by beating Wei Yi in just 29 moves. Player of the match Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou then extended their teams lead by winning the two Superstar Women's boards. Shuvalova defeated Zhu Jiner in 70 moves while Tsolakidou defeated former women's world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk in 59 moves.

However, Leinier Dominguez Perez lost to Aravindh Chithambaram on time as his clock ran out after 43 moves with their position looking mostly even. 

Continental Kings' V Pranav then forced Ganges Grandmasters' Leon Luke Mendonca to resign after 40 moves to close the gap to just one point as a win with black pieces gives a team 4 game points while a victory with white counts for three game points.

In the opening match of the day, Candidates 2026 champion GM Javokhir Sindarov showed that he is the man in form as he got the better of grandmaster Viswanathan Anand on the icon board in 57 moves to give the FYERS American Gambits an early advantage over PBG Alaskan Knights.

PBG Alaskan Knights' GM Arjun Erigaisi had his chances with black pieces, but the 23-year-old could find his way past GM Nihal Sarin's defence. With all the other Superstar Men and Women boards finishing in a draw, PBG Alaskan Knights needed Abhimanyu Mishra to carve out a win over Marc'Andria Maurizzi on the prodigy board.

But the GCL debutant had to resign after 81 moves as Maurizzi had a clear advantage in the king-pawn ending.

Sindarov was also awarded the Player of the Match for his win and said he was happy with the start his team has got. "I was also watching the other boards, and I felt even my game was heading to a draw. But I sacrificed a pawn in the endgame, and then I knew I could win."

Later in the day, American Gambits will face Triveni Continental Kings.

Fans across India can watch the matches live for free on the official Tech Mahindra Global Chess League YouTube channel. The broadcast will also be available on the Chess24 YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as Chess.com India. For the first time this season, Hindi-language commentary will be provided for the Indian audience.

Schedule for Sunday, 6 September 20263.30 PM: Alpine APL Pipers vs Ganges Grandmasters5.00 PM: CheQ Mumba Masters vs PBG Alaskan Knights6.30 PM: Ganges Grandmasters vs FYERS American Gambits8.00 PM: Triveni Continental Kings vs CheQ Mumba Masters. (ANI)