GCL draft set for Sept 26 in Mumbai

The stage is set for the third edition of the Global Chess League (GCL) with the player draft scheduled to take place in Mumbai on Friday, September 26. The franchise based tournament, to be held in Chennai from December 13 to 24, will feature some of the game’s biggest names, led by reigning world champion D Gukesh, five-time world champion GM (1998) Viswanathan Anand, and India’s prodigy GM (2018) R Praggnanandhaa, all designated as ‘Icon’ players.

One notable absentee, however, will be world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who participated in the league’s first two seasons in the UAE and London but has chosen to skip the upcoming edition.

The GCL, a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, brings together six franchises who will draft their rosters from a pool of 36 players across four categories: Icon Players, Men’s, Women’s, and U-21 Prodigy. Each team will consist of six members, one Icon, two men, two women, and one prodigy competing in a fixed-board format.

Among the international stars in the draft pool are American grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, French-Iranian talent Alireza Firouzja, and French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Top names such as Anish Giri, Arjun Erigaisi, four-time women’s world champion Hou Yifan, and India’s World Cup runner-up Koneru Humpy further strengthen the lineup.

The U-21 Prodigy category promises to add a glimpse of the game’s future, with players like Russia’s Volodar Murzin, the 2024 World Rapid champion, and France’s Marc’Andria Maurizzi, the 2023 World Junior winner.

Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings will look to retain their crown against five other franchises PBG Alaskan Knights, UpGrad Mumba Masters, Ganges Grandmasters, Alpine SG Pipers, and American Gambits.

Speaking ahead of the draft, Anand praised the league’s role in reshaping modern chess. “GCL is more than a tournament; it's a celebration of intelligence, teamwork, and creativity. It combines tradition with innovation and creates a platform worthy of the game’s global stature,” he said.

Peeyush Dubey, chairperson of the Global Chess League, added, “With every season of GCL, we’re not just building teams, we're elevating the future of chess and inspiring a new generation.”

In recent years, chess has surged in India, with Viswanathan Anand’s global success inspiring a new generation of talented young players nationwide.

GCC brings world champions, prodigies, and elite grandmasters together in one league. strengthens India’s position on the international chess map.