Ian Nepomniachtchi had Magnus Carlsen in a stranglehold for a majority of their clash on Sunday, but the Norwegian, as slippery as ever, found his way out of trouble to force a draw. (GCL Photo)Ahead of the 2026 Global Chess League, Ian Nepomniachtchi’s form was a concern for Ganges Grandmasters. Even with the experience of Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez Perez, they were not among the favourites on paper.Come the fourth season, and Nepomniachtchi has put his recent form behind him, showing the class of a two-time Candidates winner. He had Magnus Carlsen in a stranglehold for a majority of their clash on Sunday, but the Norwegian, as slippery as ever, found his way out of trouble to force a draw, evading a storm of an attack from Nepo and Ganges as defending champions Alpine APL Pipers walked away with another win.Nepo couldn’t convert against Carlsen, but he went back happy after flagging World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, churning out three crucial points to help his team stop Fyers American Gambits’ juggernaut. Polina Shuvalova has been the star act for Ganges, taking down Bibisara Assaubayeva for her third straight win, handing Gambits their first loss of the season.Viswanathan Anand’s PBG Alaskan Knights also tasted their first win, beating CheQ Mumba Masters convincingly. For Masters, led by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, their first win came against Triveni Continental Kings in the final game of the day. TCK, the most successful side in GCL history, are yet to open their account.American Gambits, Ganges Grandmasters, and Alpine Pipers are all tied on 6 match points, but Gambits continue to lead with 31 game points, followed by Ganges with 25 and Pipers with 21.More to come…