The fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League is set to begin on September 5 in Bengaluru, bringing together six franchises for a nine-day rapid event with a $1 million prize pool. Magnus Carlsen returns to defend Alpine APL Pipers’ title after skipping last season, while World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov leads Fyers American Gambits on the Icon board.

The tournament runs until September 13 at The Lalit Ashok, with six teams playing a double round-robin followed by a best-of-two final. Viswanathan Anand, Anish Giri, Arjun Erigaisi, Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Divya Deshmukh, Alireza Firouzja and Ian Nepomniachtchi are among the stars in action, while D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa have opted out with the Olympiad beginning just two days after the final.

Here’s the squad, schedule, format, time control, live streaming info and all you need to know ahead of Global Chess League 2026.

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Global Chess League 4: Team Squads

Alpine APL Pipers

Icon: Magnus Carlsen


Male superstars: Anish Giri and Vidit Gujrathi


Female superstars: Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy


Prodigy: Volodar Murzin


Coach: Pravin Thipsay

Triven Continental Kings

Icon: Alireza Firouzja


Male superstars: Wei Yi and Aravindh Chithambaram


Female superstars: Zhu Jiner and Alexandra Kosteniuk


Prodigy: Pranav V


Coach: Loek van Wely

Fyers American Gambits

Icon: Javokhir Sindarov


Male superstars: Daniil Dubov and Nihal Sarin


Female superstars: Bibisara Assaubayeva and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh


Prodigy: Marc Andria Maurizzi


Coach: Srinath Narayanan

Ganges Grandmasters

Icon: Ian Nepomniachtchi


Male superstars: Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez


Female superstars: Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou


Prodigy: Leon Mendonca


Coach: Baskaran Adhiban

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PBG Alaskan Knights

Icon: Vishy Anand


Male superstars: Arjun Erigaisi and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus


Female superstars: Kateryna Lagno and Nino Batsiashvili


Prodigy: Abhimanyu Mishra


Coach: Swayams Mishra

CheQ Mumba Masters

Icon: Maxime Vachier Lagrave


Male superstars: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Vladimir Fedoseev


Female superstars: Carissa Yip and Dronavalli Harika


Prodigy: Daneshvar Bardiya


Coach: Pentala Harikrishna

Global Chess League 4: Schedule

Global Chess League 4: Format

GCL’s double round-robin format sees all six franchises play each other twice in the preliminary stage, spanning over 30 matches from September 5-12. The top two teams then face off in a best-of-two final on September 13. Each match features six boards: one Icon, two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy. Every board carries equal weight in the team score.

Time Control: 20 minutes per player, with a 2-second increment added from move 41.

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Global Chess League 4: Live Streaming

All GCL 4 matches will be available for free on the official Tech Mahindra Global Chess League YouTube channel. The broadcast will also be available on the Chess24 YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as Chess.com India. Hindi-language commentary will be provided for the Indian audience for the first time this season.