The strongest chess league is right here!
The wait is lastly over! The Tech Mahindra World Chess League (GCL) is again 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 3 to 13 September 2026 (the primary spherical will happen on Saturday, 5 September), six groups filled with world champions, super-grandmasters, rising prodigies and a number of the strongest ladies gamers on this planet will battle it out in probably the most revolutionary codecs ever launched to the sport.
When the World Chess League was launched in 2023 by Tech Mahindra in affiliation with FIDE, the chess world acquired one thing particular. And it’s great to see that, into its fourth yr, the league remains to be going very sturdy. Beneath the management of Anand Mahindra and with five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand serving as considered one of its strongest ambassadors, the league sought to remodel chess into a real spectator sport – one constructed round city-based franchises, crew rivalries and fast-paced encounters that would captivate each seasoned chess fans and newcomers alike.
Over the previous three seasons, that imaginative and prescient has steadily taken form. The league has introduced collectively the largest names in chess beneath one roof, created memorable crew battles and launched followers to a format the place each board issues. In contrast to conventional tournaments, each franchise fields an Icon participant, two Superstars, two main ladies gamers and a prodigy, making every match an interesting mix of expertise, youth and taking part in kinds. Additionally, the time management of 20 minutes with increment of two seconds solely after transfer 40 creates loopy time scrambles. And I completely love the scoring system the place Black will get 4 factors for the win and White receives 3. The result’s a contest the place momentum can shift dramatically from one board to a different, protecting gamers and spectators engaged till the final recreation.
With the league now coming to Bengaluru – a metropolis that has turn into considered one of India’s foremost centres of chess, expertise and innovation – the fourth season guarantees to be the largest but.
The person behind the league – Chairman of the Mahindra Group – Mr. Anand Mahindra
The draft
The highway to Bengaluru formally started on 29 June 2026, when the six franchises assembled in Mumbai for the World Chess League Draft. Each crew entered the draft with a special technique. Some selected continuity by retaining the core of their earlier squads, whereas others opted for a whole rebuild, looking for the proper steadiness of established stars, thrilling kids and dependable performers. By the top of the night, six compelling lineups had emerged, every with its personal strengths, questions and championship aspirations.
There was a pool of 36 gamers. And that is how that they had fared within the earlier three editions. We now have taken 10 video games within the round-robin stage because the benchmark. The video games within the finals have been excluded to maintain uniformity.
Not in league this time:
An enormous miss on this yr’s version goes to be Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Hikaru Nakamura, who performed the final two editions, will even be lacking this time round.
Let’s take a better have a look at the groups that can battle for the World Chess League title in 2026.
Alpine APL Pipers
- Icon: Magnus Carlsen
- Male superstars: Anish Giri and Vidit Gujrathi
- Feminine superstars: Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy
- Prodigy: Volodar Murzin
- Coach: Pravin Thipsay
Any crew that has Magnus Carlsen absolutely has an enormous edge. For positive Magnus is a superb Icon board for crew Alpine APL Pipers. But it surely is perhaps the first-ever time that we are going to see Carlsen and Giri collectively in a single crew! Whereas the 2 have immense respect for one another as gamers, they have not precisely been on nice private phrases, as we see on Twitter. Will they have the ability to set these variations apart and bond collectively as a crew? It will likely be fascinating to see.
Vidit Gujrathi provides an fascinating flavour to this squad. Vidit hasn’t been in one of the best form in current instances. However with him taking part in for crew India on the Olympiad, he needs to be ready for this occasion. Vidit can be glorious buddies with Giri so that could be a very constructive dynamic for the crew.
The ladies’s board has two generations of Indian chess: Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh. They each have had unimaginable fights in opposition to one another – their World Cup 2025 finals involves thoughts. I might say the ladies’s board is excellently coated.
And Volodar Murzin on prodigy board, nicely, I might say he is likely one of the greatest speedy gamers on the market. In spite of everything, you don’t turn into the World Fast Champion with out motive. If the crew manages to deal with the human dynamics nicely, they might actually carry out excellently.
PS: Attention-grabbing to notice that Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Divya Deshmukh and Volodar Murzin had been all a part of one crew on the FIDE World Groups Fast and Blitz 2025 and 2026: Hexamind.
Anish Giri is the one participant who will characteristic of their crew from final yr. The Alpine Pipers gained in 2025, however Caruana, Pragg and Hou Yifan, who represented that crew, usually are not a part of the 2026 squad.
Triveni Continental Kings
- Icon: Alireza Firouzja
- Male superstars: Wei Yi and Aravindh Chithambaram
- Feminine superstars: Zhu Jiner and Alexandra Kosteniuk
- Prodigy: Pranav V
- Coach: Loek van Wely
One of many issues that has stood out for me in regard to Triveni Continental Kings is their utter professionalism.
The Triveni Continental Kings, who gained the 2023 and 2024 editions, dominated in 2025 as nicely, solely to stumble on the remaining frontier – within the finals in opposition to Alpine Pipers. The crew has an enormous ace within the type of Alireza Firouzja. Not solely is Alireza tremendous sturdy, he is a superb crew participant, and mixed with Wei Yi’s secure play on board two, that is absolutely their sturdy level.
Aravindh Chithambaram will make his World Chess League debut. Traditionally, Aravindh has been an incredible speedy participant. However this can be a giant take a look at for the teenager as he’ll face a number of the greatest gamers on this planet. That is the place Triveni Continental Kings will hope that Aravindh brings his greatest foot ahead.
The ladies’s board is large! Alexandra Kosteniuk has been the MVP within the ladies’s celebrity board for the league. She has scored closely and is excellent at this brief format. I might say Zhu Jiner is an unimaginable addition as nicely. She may nicely be the best scoring feminine participant on this version.
The prodigy board options Pranav Venkatesh, one other professional at velocity chess. Pranav is making his debut at GCL and I feel he is likely one of the stronger prodigies amongst the six.
Fyers American Gambits
- Icon: Javokhir Sindarov
- Male superstars: Daniil Dubov and Nihal Sarin
- Feminine superstars: Bibisara Assaubayeva and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
- Prodigy: Marc Andria Maurizzi
- Coach: Srinath Narayanan
What a crew that is! So many superb dynamics right here. Firstly, Javokhir Sindarov coming to India earlier than the World Championship match is so epic. Subsequent, the couple Javokhir Sindarov and Bibisara Assaubayeva are in the identical crew.
The celebrity males boards are additionally very thrilling for this crew, with two tremendous stable gamers: Daniil Dubov and Nihal Sarin. It’d sound bizarre to place Daniil Dubov within the class of tremendous stable. In spite of everything, is not he the one who sacrifices his whole home to win video games? The fashionable-day Mikhail Tal? Effectively, that is true. However due to the opening idea that has inbuilt an enormous approach over time, Daniil prefers to not go too wild lately. However if you happen to poke him an excessive amount of, then the dragon inside him does get up and begins emitting hearth. I’m positive everybody’s excited to see the sacrifices of Dubov on this occasion. Nihal has already confirmed himself to be a world-class participant in shorter codecs.
The ladies’s boards are fairly sturdy with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Sara Khadem. I might say Bibisara is the stronger of the 2 gamers in terms of speedy play. Sara has performed two editions of the World Chess League and has scored a really affordable 8/15 (she may solely play 5 video games within the first version as she was the midway mark alternative for Nana Dzagnidze).
The prodigy board with Marc’Andria Maurizzi is kind of secure. Marc scored 5½/10 factors within the earlier version and may have the ability to maintain fort for the crew on the sixth board.
Ganges Grandmasters
- Icon: Ian Nepomniachtchi
- Male superstars: Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez
- Feminine superstars: Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou
- Prodigy: Leon Mendonca
- Coach: Baskaran Adhiban
The highest three boards of this crew are extraordinarily skilled: Ian Nepomniachtchi, Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez. Whereas Ian has gained the FIDE Candidates twice, Levon Aronian is an absolute class act. He was the icon within the first version for the Triveni Continental Kings and has all the time been often known as an incredible participant. The truth that Aronian and Dominguez are good buddies, brings in an fascinating vibe to the Ganges Grandmasters crew.
As for the ladies’s boards, Polina Shuvalova has performed in two editions of GCL with a good efficiency (9½/20) whereas Stavroula Tsolakidou has performed in a single version (4/10). The 2 celebrity ladies gamers usually are not the strongest gamers on their boards, however they’re sturdy speedy gamers and might beat nearly any opponent on a given day. That is additionally the rationale why the crew determined to retain them.
The prodigy board on the Ganges Grandmasters crew is held by Leon Mendonca. He’s absolutely a rising star of Indian chess. Born in 2006, that is his final yr to play on the prodigy board, and Leon would like to surpass his efficiency of the earlier version (5/10) and preserve his crew’s consequence. He was a part of the Alpine Pipers crew final season and the crew had gained all the league!
PBG Alaskan Knights
- Icon: Vishy Anand
- Male superstars: Arjun Erigaisi and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus
- Feminine superstars: Kateryna Lagno and Nino Batsiashvili
- Prodigy: Abhimanyu Mishra
- Coach: Swayams Mishra
The largest query for this crew would absolutely be the type of Vishy Anand on the Icon board. Anand has performed three editions of GCL, all on the icon board. His efficiency in 2023 was unimaginable, with 6/10. However in 2024 he struggled massive time, scoring simply 4 attracts and 6 losses. The 2025 version was fairly first rate as Vishy scored wins over Gukesh and attracts in opposition to Hikaru (3½/10). For me, what stands out is Vishy’s capability to compete with one of the best within the enterprise even on the age of 56 years.
The PBG Alaskan Knights have very sturdy celebrity males board in Arjun Erigaisi and the debutant Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus can be probably the most talked about gamers on this version. He’s simply 15 years outdated, and plenty of declare that he’ll go on to be the rightful inheritor of Magnus Carlsen as one of the best participant on this planet. This is able to be fairly a pleasant take a look at for Yagiz.
For a participant of Kateryna Lagno’s calibre – by some means her rating within the World Chess League has not been consultant of her energy. She has simply scored 11 factors out of the 30 video games that she has performed. So this version, she would absolutely need to set this document straight. Nino Batsiashvili was the best scoring feminine participant within the 2025 version. She scored 7/10. She actually strengthens the ladies celebrity boards for her crew.
Abhimanyu Mishra grew to become a widely known identify within the chess world when he achieved the title of GM on the age of 12 years 4 months and 25 days – making him the youngest GM on this planet. A document which nobody has been in a position to overtake until date. Him taking part in this season can be very thrilling to observe!
Upgrad Mumba Masters
- Icon: Maxime Vachier Lagrave
- Male superstars: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Vladimir Fedoseev
- Feminine superstars: Carissa Yip and Dronavalli Harika
- Prodigy: Daneshvar Bardiya
- Coach: Pentala Harikrishna
Traditionally, Upgrad Mumba Masters is a crew that likes to retain their gamers. MVL is somebody who joined Upgrad Mumba Masters in 2023 and has ever since remained their icon board. The identical goes for Harika. Mamedyarov performed for the Upgrad Mumba Masters within the 2025 version. It was an absolute no-brainer that Daneshvar Bardiya needed to be retained within the crew. The teenager scored 7½/10 within the 2025 version.
This season the crew can have two debutants in Vladimir Fedoseev and Carissa Yip – each very sturdy velocity chess gamers who absolutely improve the energy of the crew.
Video evaluation of the draft
We carry you a number of the footages from the Tech Mahindra World Chess League Draft, and IM Sagar Shah breaks down the groups
Arohi Thatte and Lokesh Natoo break down the draft and inform you all concerning the groups!
