Mumbai
The Global Chess League (GCL) will host its Season 3 player draft in Mumbai on September 26, featuring 36 top players from 17 countries. Six teams will pick their lineups from a pool that includes world champions, grandmasters, and young prodigies.
Leading the Icon Player list are reigning World Champion D. Gukesh, five-time champion Viswanathan Anand, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Big names like Anish Giri, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Hou Yifan, and Koneru Humpy are also part of the draft.
Young stars in the U-21 Prodigy category include Volodar Murzin, the 2024 World Rapid Champion, and Marc’Andria Maurizzi, the 2023 World Junior Champion.
The draft will have four rounds for Icon Players, Men’s, Women’s, and U-21 Prodigy categories. Each team will have six members: one Icon, two men, two women, and one under-21 player.
Viswanathan Anand said the GCL blends tradition and innovation and brings global attention to chess from India. The six teams, including defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, will now compete on home soil for the first time, aiming to grow chess with a more fan-friendly approach.
