Global Chess League 2026: Full schedule, squads, format, live streaming – all you need to know
4 min readSep 3, 2026 05:22 PM IST
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.
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
| Date | Match | Time (IST) |
| September 5 | PBG Alaskan Knights vs. FYERS American Gambits | 3:30 PM |
| September 5 | Triveni Continental Kings vs. Ganges Grandmasters | 5:00 PM |
| September 5 | CheQ Mumba Masters vs. Alpine APL Pipers | 6:30 PM |
| September 5 | FYERS American Gambits vs. Triveni Continental Kings | 8:00 PM |
| September 6 | Alpine APL Pipers vs. Ganges Grandmasters | 3:30 PM |
| September 6 | CheQ Mumba Masters vs. PBG Alaskan Knights | 5:00 PM |
| September 6 | Ganges Grandmasters vs. FYERS American Gambits | 6:30 PM |
| September 6 | Triveni Continental Kings vs. CheQ Mumba Masters | 8:00 PM |
| September 7 | PBG Alaskan Knights vs. Alpine APL Pipers | 3:30 PM |
| September 7 | CheQ Mumba Masters vs. Ganges Grandmasters | 5:00 PM |
| September 7 | Alpine APL Pipers vs. FYERS American Gambits | 6:30 PM |
| September 7 | PBG Alaskan Knights vs. Triveni Continental Kings | 8:00 PM |
| September 8 | Ganges Grandmasters vs. PBG Alaskan Knights | 3:30 PM |
| September 8 | FYERS American Gambits vs. CheQ Mumba Masters | 5:00 PM |
| September 8 | Triveni Continental Kings vs. Alpine APL Pipers | 6:30 PM |
| September 8 | FYERS American Gambits vs. PBG Alaskan Knights | 8:00 PM |
| September 9 | CheQ Mumba Masters vs. Alpine APL Pipers | 3:30 PM |
| September 9 | Ganges Grandmasters vs. Triveni Continental Kings | 5:00 PM |
| September 9 | PBG Alaskan Knights vs. CheQ Mumba Masters | 6:30 PM |
| September 9 | Triveni Continental Kings vs. FYERS American Gambits | 8:00 PM |
| September 10 | Alpine APL Pipers vs. Ganges Grandmasters | 3:30 PM |
| September 10 | CheQ Mumba Masters vs. Triveni Continental Kings | 5:00 PM |
| September 10 | Alpine APL Pipers vs. PBG Alaskan Knights | 6:30 PM |
| September 10 | Ganges Grandmasters vs. FYERS American Gambits | 8:00 PM |
| September 11 | Triveni Continental Kings vs. PBG Alaskan Knights | 5:00 PM |
| September 11 | Alpine APL Pipers vs. FYERS American Gambits | 6:30 PM |
| September 11 | Ganges Grandmasters vs. CheQ Mumba Masters | 8:00 PM |
| September 12 | Triveni Continental Kings vs. Alpine APL Pipers | 5:00 PM |
| September 12 | PBG Alaskan Knights vs. Ganges Grandmasters | 6:30 PM |
| September 12 | FYERS American Gambits vs. CheQ Mumba Masters | 8:00 PM |
| September 13 | 3rd Place Match | 3:30 PM |
| September 13 | Final | 6:30 PM |
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.
