Coach's fasting, nod to Dhoni, 'funniest' team: Inside Ganges Grandmasters' GCL title
The Ganges Grandmasters won the Global Chess League Season 4 in Bengaluru, overcoming the defending champions in a tight final. The team, led by stand-in coach Adhiban Baskaran, secured the title after a decisive performance by Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Why it matters
The victory highlights the growing popularity and competitive nature of professional chess leagues in India.
BENGALURU: Who doesn't love a good underdog story? Everyone does, right? Nobody had Ganges Grandmasters finishing on top of anything when Season 4 of the Global Chess League (GCL) began in Bengaluru just less than a fortnight ago. Six teams, a league stage so tight, and a final that only got decided after the very last match was played on Saturday evening.With Grandmasters like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Levon Aronian, Leinier Domínguez and Leon Luke Mendonca, and International Masters like Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou, it was a diverse side, one few expected to go all the way.By Sunday, as the confetti cannons went off, it was Ganges Grandmasters, not the defending champions APL Pipers, not the team with Magnus Carlsen on the Icon board, standing at the top of the podium.7-5 remained the aggregate score by which Ganges Grandmasters beat the Pipers across the two-leg final, having drawn the first leg…
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