Fouth Season 2026 Global Chess League with two World Chess Champions!
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The fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League gets underway today, 5 September 2026, in Bengaluru, India, the country’s renowned technology hub. The league brings together six franchise teams featuring some of the biggest names in international chess.
Among the headline stars are five-time World Chess Champions GM Viswanathan Anand and GM Magnus Carlsen, who will lead two of the league’s most closely watched teams. Carlsen will represent Alpine APL Pipers, while Anand will play for PBG Alaskan Knights. Both champions have won their world titles in the classical chess format.
With the league played in rapid chess, the format promises a very different challenge from classical competition. Players will have less time to calculate and must combine preparation, tactical awareness and fast decision-making. The league format also brings together elite men, women and emerging junior players, creating a unique team-based chess spectacle.
The six teams competing in Season 4 are:
- PBG Alaskan Knights — led by Viswanathan Anand
- Alpine APL Pipers — led by Magnus Carlsen
- Triveni Continental Kings — led by Alireza Firouzja
- FYERS American Gambits — led by Javokhir Sindarov
- Ganges Grandmasters — led by Ian Nepomniachtchi
- CheQ Mumba Masters — led by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
The stage is now set for high-intensity chess, with the world's leading players competing not only for individual victories but also for their team's overall success.
Can Carlsen guide the Alpine APL Pipers to another title and replicate his Esports World Cup 2026 performance here? Can Anand lead the Alaskan Knights to the top? Or will one of the other four franchises emerge as the new champions?
A picture of GM Magnus Carlsen with his team.
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We will wait and see how the results unfold with the final standings at the end of GCL season.
Our best wishes to all the team players!