The Battle for Bengaluru: Inside Every Team at Global Chess League 2026
The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League returns for its fourth season, bringing the world's biggest chess stars to Bengaluru from September 3–13, 2026. With six power-packed franchises, fresh team combinations, exciting debutants, and fierce rivalries, here's a complete look at every squad, their strengths, and what makes this season the most anticipated yet. We also give you 10 reasons why you should follow this event and visit Bengaluru to watch the tournament in person.
The Strongest Chess League is here!
The wait is finally over! The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL) is back for its fourth season, and for the very first time, India's Silicon Valley - Bengaluru - will play host to the world's premier franchise chess league. From 3rd to 13th September 2026, six teams packed with World Champions, super-grandmasters, rising prodigies and some of the strongest women players in the world will battle it out in one of the most innovative formats ever introduced to the game.
When the Global Chess League was launched in 2023 by Tech Mahindra in association with FIDE the chess world received something special. And it is wonderful to see that into its 4th year, the league is still going very strong. Under the leadership of Anand Mahindra and with five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand serving as one of its strongest ambassadors, the league sought to transform chess into a true spectator sport - one built around city-based franchises, team rivalries and fast-paced encounters that could captivate both seasoned chess enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
Over the past three seasons, that vision has steadily taken shape. The league has brought together the biggest names in chess under one roof, created memorable team battles, and introduced fans to a format where every board matters. Unlike traditional tournaments, every franchise fields an Icon player, two Superstars, two leading women players and a prodigy, making each match a fascinating blend of experience, youth and playing styles. Also the time control of 20 minutes with increment of 2 seconds only after move 40 creates crazy time scrambles. And I absolutely love the scoring system where Black gets 4 points for the win and White receives 3. The result is a competition where momentum can shift dramatically from one board to another, keeping players and spectators engaged until the very last game.
With the league now coming to Bengaluru - a city that has become one of India's foremost centres of chess, technology and innovation - the fourth season promises to be the biggest yet.
The road to Bengaluru officially began on 29th June 2026, when the six franchises assembled in Mumbai for the Global Chess League Draft. Every team entered the draft with a different strategy. Some chose continuity by retaining the core of their previous squads, while others opted for a complete rebuild, searching for the perfect balance of established stars, exciting youngsters and reliable performers. By the end of the evening, six compelling line-ups had emerged, each with its own strengths, questions and championship aspirations.
There was a pool of 36 players. And this is how they had fared in the previous three editions. We have taken 10 games in the Round Robin stage as the benchmark. The games in the finals have been excluded to keep uniformity:
Icons:
Javokhir Sindarov is the highest performing icon. But this is the first time he will be holding fort on the Icon board. Alireza's performance has been incredible. He didn't play the first edition and yet is so high on the list.
Superstar Men
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Wei Yi have been performing quite admirably in this section. It's interesting that Levon who played the first edition as an Icon will now be in the Superstar Men section. We have 3 debutants to GCL here - Aravindh, Erdogmus and Fedoseev.
Superstar Women
Alexandra Kosteniuk and Harika Dronavalli have been the most consistent female players in the league. I am pretty sure if Zhu Jiner played more editions, she would have been right at the top! Two very exciting debutants this season - Divya Deshmukh and Carissa Yip.
Prodigy section
No player on the prodigy board has played all 3 seasons. And I believe this is how the prodigy board should be. A player like Sindarov played the prodigy board in 2023 season and now he is an Icon! Daneshvar Bardiya played incredibly well in 2025. Two new faces who will be fun to follow are Abhimanyu Mishra and Pranav Venkatesh.
Not in the league this time!
A big miss in this year's edition is going to be R. Praggnanandhaa. Hikaru Nakamura who has played the last two editions will also be missing this time around.
The Draft on 29th June 2026
Let's take a closer look at the teams that will battle for the Global Chess League title in 2026.
Alpine APL Pipers
ICON: Magnus Carlsen
MALE SUPERSTARS: Anish Giri and Vidit Gujrathi
FEMALE SUPERSTARS: Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy
PRODIGY BOARD: Volodar Murzin
COACH: Pravin Thipsay
Whom did they retain: Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri
Team analysis
Any team that has Magnus Carlsen surely has a huge edge. For sure Magnus is an excellent Icon board for team Alpine APL Pipers. But it might be the first ever time that we will see Carlsen and Giri together in one team! While the two have immense respect for each other as players, they haven't exactly been on great personal terms as we see on Twitter. Will they be able to set those differences aside and bond together as a team! It will be interesting to see.
Vidit Gujrathi adds an interesting flavour to this squad. Vidit hasn't been in the best of shape in recent times. But with him playing for team India at the Olympiad, he should be prepared for this event. Vidit is also excellent friends with Anish Giri so that is a very positive dynamic for the team.
The women's board has two generations of Indian chess - Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh. They both have had incredible fights against each other - their World Cup 2025 finals comes to mind. I would say the women's board is excellently covered.
And Volodar Murzin on prodigy board, well I would say he is one of the best rapid players out there. After all you do not become the World Rapid Champion without reason. If the team manages to handle the human dynamics well, they could really perform excellently.
PS: Interesting to note that Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Divya Deshmukh and Volodar Murzin were all part of one team at the FIDE World Teams Rapid and Blitz 2025 and 2026 - Hexamind.
Triveni Continental Kings
ICON: Alireza Firouzja
MALE SUPERSTARS: Wei Yi and Aravindh Chithambaram
FEMALE SUPERSTARS: Zhu Jiner and Alexandra Kosteniuk
PRODIGY BOARD: Pranav V
TEAM COACH: Loek van Wely
Whom did they retain: Alireza Firouzja, Wei Yi, Zhu Jiner, Alexandra Kosteniuk
Team analysis
One of the things that has stood out for me with regards to Triveni Continental Kings is their utter professionalism.
And the Triveni Continental Kings dominated the 2025 edition, only to stumble at the final frontier - in the finals against Alpine Pipers. The team has a huge ace in the form of Alireza Firouzja. Not only is Alireza super strong, he is an excellent team player and combined with Wei Yi's stable play on board 2 - this is surely their strong point.
Aravindh Chithambaram will make his Global Chess League debut. Historically Aravindh has been an amazing rapid player. But this will be a big test for the youngster as he will face some of the best players in the world. This is where Triveni Continental Kings will hope that Aravindh brings his best foot forward.
The women's board is tremendous! Alexandra Kosteniuk has been the MVP in the women's superstar board for the league! She has scored heavily and is very good at this short format. I would say Zhu Jiner is an incredible addition as well. She could well be the highest scoring female player in this edition!
The prodigy board features Pranav Venkatesh - another expert at speed chess! Pranav is making his debut at GCL and I think he is one of the stronger prodigies amongst the six.
Fyers American Gambits
ICON: Javokhir Sindarov
MALE SUPERSTARS: Daniil Dubov and Nihal Sarin
FEMALE SUPERSTARS: Bibisara Assaubayeva and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
PRODIGY BOARD: Marc Andria Maurizzi
TEAM COACH: Srinath Narayanan
Whom did they retain: Bibisara Assaubayeva
Team analysis
What a team this is! So many amazing dynamics here. Firstly, Javokhir Sindarov coming to India before the World Championship match is so epic! Next, the couple Javokhir Sindarov and Bibisara Assaubayeva are in the same team!
The superstar men boards are also very exciting for this team - the two super solid players - Daniil Dubov and Nihal Sarin! It might sound weird to put Daniil Dubov in the category of super solid. After all, isn't he the one who sacrifices his entire house to win games? The modern day Mikhail Tal? Well, that's true. But thanks to the opening theory that has built in a huge way over time, Daniil prefers not to go too wild these days. But if you poke him too much, then the dragon within him does wake up and starts emitting fire! I am sure everyone's excited to see the sacrifices of Dubov in this event! Nihal has already proven himself to be a world class player in shorter formats!
The womens' boards are quite strong with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Sara Khadem. I would say Bibisara is the stronger of the two players when it comes to rapid play. Sara has played two editions of the Global Chess League and has scored a very reasonable 8.0/15 (she could only play 5 games in the first edition as she was the halfway mark replacement for Nana Dzagnidze).
The prodigy board with Marc Andria Maurizzi is quite stable. Marc scored 5.5/10 points in the previous edition and should be able to hold fort for the team on the 6th board.
Ganges Grandmasters
ICON: Ian Nepomniachtchi
MALE SUPERSTARS: Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez
FEMALE SUPERSTARS: Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou
PRODIGY BOARD: Leon Mendonca
TEAM COACH: B. Adhiban
Whom did they retain: Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou
Team analysis
The top 3 boards of of this team are extremely experienced - we have Ian Nepomniachtchi, Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez. While Ian has won the FIDE Candidates 2 times, Levon Aronian is an absolute class act. He was the icon in the first edition for the Triveni Continental Kings and has always been known as an amazing player. The fact that Aronian and Dominguez are good friends, brings in an interesting vibe to the Ganges Grandmasters team.
As for the women's board Polina Shuvalova has played in two editions of GCL with a decent performance (9.5/20) while Stavroula Tsolakidou has played in only one edition (4.0/10). The two superstar women players are not the strongest players on their boards but they are strong rapid players and can beat just about any opponents on a given day. This is also the reason why the team decided to retain them.
The prodigy board on the Ganges Grandmasters team is held by Leon Mendonca. He is surely a rising star of Indian chess. Born in 2006, this is his last year to play on the prodigy board and Leon would love to surpass his performance of the previous edition (5.0/10) and keep his team's result. He was part of the Alpine Pipers team last season and the team had won the entire league!
PBG Alaskan Knights
ICON: Vishy Anand
MALE SUPERSTARS: Arjun Erigaisi and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus
FEMALE SUPERSTARS: Kateryna Lagno and Nino Batsiashvili
PRODIGY BOARD: Abhimanyu Mishra
TEAM COACH: Swayams Mishra
Whom did they retain: Arjun Erigaisi and Kateryna Lagno
Team analysis
The biggest question for this team would surely be the form of Vishy Anand on the Icon board. Anand has played 3 editions of GCL - all on the icon board. His performance in 2023 was incredible with 6.0/10. But in 2024 he struggled big time scoring just 4 draws and 6 losses. 2025 was quite decent as Vishy scored wins over Gukesh and draws against Hikaru (3.5/10). For me what stands out is Vishy's ability to compete with the best in the business even at the age of 56 years!
The PBG Alaskan Knights have very strong superstar men board in Arjun Erigaisi and the debutant Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus will be one of the most talked about players in this edition. He is just 15 years old and many claim that he will go on to be the rightful heir of Magnus Carlsen as the best player in the world. This would be quite a nice test for Yagiz.
For a player of Kateryna Lagno's calibre - somehow her score in the Global Chess League has not been representative of her strength. She has just scored 11 points out of the 30 games that she has played. So this edition, she would surely want to set this record straight. Nino Batsiashvili was the highest scoring female player in the 2025 edition. She scored 7.0/10. She really strengthens the women superstar boards for her team.
Abhimanyu Mishra became a well known name in the chess world when he achieved the title of GM at the age of 12 years 4 months and 25 days - making him the youngest GM in the world. A record which no one has been able to overtake till date. Him playing this season will be very exciting to watch!
Upgrad Mumba Masters
ICON: Maxime Vachier Lagrave
MALE SUPERSTARS: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Vladimir Fedoseev
FEMALE SUPERSTARS: Carissa Yip and Dronavalli Harika
PRODIGY BOARD: Daneshvar Bardiya
TEAM COACH: P. Harikrishna
Whom did they retain: MVL, Mamedyarov, Harika, Daneshvar Bardiya
Team analysis
Historically Upgrad Mumba Masters is a team that likes to retain their players. MVL is someone who joined Upgrad Mumba Masters in 2023 and has ever since remained their icon board. The same goes for Harika. Mamedyarov played for the Upgrad Mumba Masters in 2025 edition. It was an absolute no brainer that Daneshvar Bardiya had to be retained in the team. The youngster scored 7.5/10 in the 2025 edition.
This season the team will have two debutants Vladimir Fedoseev and Carissa Yip - both very strong speed chess players and do surely increase the strength of the team.
Video Analysis of the Draft
10 things to look forward to for GCL 2026
1. Global Chess League arrives in Bengaluru
After three successful seasons, the league comes to India's Silicon Valley. Bengaluru has become one of India's biggest chess hubs, making it a natural home for the fourth edition. The city also has an amazing chess culture! The only thing to be a bit wary is the traffic in the city, but I am pretty sure that the players are going to stay in the same hotel where they will be playing.
2. Magnus Carlsen returns to defend the Alpine crown
The world no. 1 is back with Alpine APL Pipers, but this time he'll have a target on his back. He has to make sure that he is able to recreate the magic that Fabiano Caruana did in 2025 for the team. Having Magnus in India, is such an exciting proposition for the chess fans!
3. Viswanathan Anand in new colours
For the first time, Anand will represent the PBG Alaskan Knights. The five-time World Champion has always been one of the faces of the league, and seeing him in a different franchise adds an intriguing new dimension.
4. Javokhir Sindarov's Indian visit before the World Championship
Sindarov will arrive in Bengaluru just a couple of months before challenging Gukesh for the World Championship. Watching the challenger compete in a high-pressure team league in front of Indian fans before the biggest match of his life will be fascinating.
5. Divya Deshmukh's GCL Debut
Everyone wanted Divya Deshmukh to play at the Global Chess League and she finally will after three seasons! This is surely exciting for the Indian fans, especially little girls who are sure to come there and get inspired.
6. Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Abhimanyu Mishra enter GCL
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus is born in 2011 while Abhimanyu Mishra is born in 2009. Both of them playing in GCL definitely shows that the league has the best of young talents across the world participating in it.
7. Amazing production at the venue
The playing hall is usually very thoughtfully chosen and decked up for all the editions of GCL. Everyone will be looking forward to see how the venue would be like.
8. Headphones for the spectators inside the playing hall
In 2025 the Global Chess League did something very cool. They introduced headphones inside the playing venue for the fans to follow the matches. Being able to see the players LIVE and also follow the commentary on the headphones is truly an immersive experience. Very likely, this will be repeated in the 2026 edition.
9. The Fan Zone
The fan zone at GCL is something that allows chess fans to have a wonderful time playing chess, solving positions, listening to commentary and much more.
10. Your chance to play a GM
There are usually six reserve players who are also present at the venue. They are called the ambassadors of the league. They engage with the crowd and also give simuls. This would be your chance to play against the GMs while enjoying the Global Chess League spectacle!
