Magnus Carlsen is known for making headlines with his moves on the chessboard. But on the opening day of the Global Chess League, the five-time world champion gave fans something to laugh about away from the board.After his game against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Carlsen tried to shake hands with his opponent. However, the first attempt did not go as planned. After a brief pause, he tried again – and the handshake went wrong for a second time.The awkward moment left both players laughing.The home fans, meanwhile, had plenty to cheer about as Fyers American Gambits made a strong start to the tournament.The American Gambits opened their campaign with a 10-4 win over PBG Alaskan Knights and later produced an even bigger victory. They thrashed Triveni Continental Kings 15-4 to hand the most successful team in GCL history a heavy defeat.The Continental Kings had won the first two editions of the league and finished runners-up last year.While American Gambits enjoyed a memorable opening day, Carlsen’s return was another major talking point.The Norwegian returned to the Global Chess League after missing last year’s edition in Mumbai. Representing defending champions Alpine APL Pipers, Carlsen was held to a draw by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of Cheq Mumba Masters.Carlsen could not win his individual game, but the Alpine Pipers came out on top, beating Mumba Masters 10-8.The defending champions, however, have a much-changed squad this season. Anish Giri is the only player from last year’s title-winning team.It was a difficult day for the Triveni Continental Kings. They first went down 9-10 to Ganges Grandmasters before suffering another heavy defeat against American Gambits.With the double round-robin stage ahead, the Continental Kings will have to quickly regroup and find their form.ResultsFyers American Gambits beat PBG Alaskan Knights 10-4
- Javokhir Sindarov beat Viswanathan Anand
- Nihal Sarin drew with Arjun Erigaisi
- Daniil Dubov drew with Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus
- Bibisara Assaubayeva drew with Kateryna Lagno
- Sarasadat Khademalsharieh drew with Nino Batsiashvili
- Marc’Andria Maurizzi beat Abhimanyu Mishra
Ganges Grandmasters beat Triveni Continental Kings 10-9
- Ian Nepomniachtchi drew with Alireza Firouzja
- Levon Aronian beat Wei Yi
- Leinier Dominguez Perez lost to Aravindh Chithambaram
- Polina Shuvalova beat Zhu Jiner
- Stavroula Tsolakidou beat Alexandra Kosteniuk
- Leon Mendonca lost to V. Pranav
Alpine APL Pipers beat Cheq Mumba Masters 10-8
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drew with Magnus Carlsen
- M. Pranesh beat Anish Giri
- Shakhriyar Mamedyarov lost to Vidit Gujrathi
- D. Harika beat Divya Deshmukh
- Carissa Yip lost to Koneru Humpy
- Bardiya Daneshvar drew with Volodar Murzin
Fyers American Gambits beat Triveni Continental Kings 14-5
- Alireza Firouzja drew with Javokhir Sindarov
- Wei Yi lost to Nihal Sarin
- Aravindh Chithambaram lost to Daniil Dubov
- Zhu Jiner drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva
- Alexandra Kosteniuk beat Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
- V. Pranav lost to Marc’Andria Maurizzi
