Chess Team Wins Title Days After Losing Their Owner

When a chess franchise lost its owner days before the season started, everyone expected disaster. Instead, the Ganges Grandmasters just won the Global Chess League championship.

Insurekot Sports Private Limited backed out of owning the team right before the 2026 auction. The league scrambled to find emergency management just to keep the franchise alive.

Team MGD1, a company known for running elite chess tournaments, got a phone call about 10 to 15 days before the auction. Co-founder Manu Gurtu said yes immediately, even though they'd never owned a team before.

The new owners had no time to waste. Manu called chess player Adhiban Bhaskaran to be coach, joking later that he "didn't even give him an option."

Then came the biggest gamble. The team let go of Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion and the biggest name in Indian chess. They bet on Ian Nepomniachtchi instead, even though he was struggling with his form.

The move shocked everyone, especially when the team kept their two female players who weren't considered the strongest on paper. Levon Aronian, one of their star players, admitted he thought the women's boards were their weak point.

Why This Inspires

Coach Adhiban turned those supposed weaknesses into secret weapons. He focused on building energy and confidence, especially with the female players.

Polina Shuvalova scored 21 out of 37 possible points. Stavroula Tsolakidou, nicknamed "Greekgoddess," scored even better with 21.5 points, winning five of her last seven games.

Tsolakidou earned Player of the Tournament honors. Aronian admitted he was completely wrong, saying the women became "a deadly force" and were actually "the secret sauce" to their victory.

On September 13, the team that almost didn't exist beat the defending champions Alpine APL Pipers. A franchise assembled in panic mode with a last-minute coach and supposedly weak players became the biggest underdog story of the season.

Sometimes the best teams aren't built with the most famous names, but with the right energy and belief in unexpected heroes.