Mumbai gears up for season three of Global Chess League

After Dubai and London, the Global Chess League has arrived in another great city. Mumbai, a megapolis like no other, is indeed an apt venue for season three of a chess event like no other.

The GCL obviously draws inspiration from the IPL. It is the most glamorous, star-studded, innovative league out there in the mind sport. The last two seasons have produced some fascinating chess, and there should be more of it over the next 10 days at the Royal Opera House here.

Last year, the venue in London was special, too: the Friends House, a beautiful historic building where Mahatma Gandhi made his first public speech in London when he went there for the Round Table Conference of 1931. The Royal Opera House in the City of Dreams has witnessed legends in theatre and music like Bal Gandharva, Prithviraj Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar.

Now the Opera House will see some Grandmasterly moves from some of the biggest names in the game, including the legendary Viswanathan Anand, the World No. 2 and No. 3 from the United States, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, the brilliant young trio from India — World champion D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi.

Two-time champion Triveni Continental Kings, American Gambits, Alpine SG Pipers, PBG Alaskan Knights, Ganges Grandmasters and upGrad Mumba Masters are the six teams in the fray.
| Photo Credit:
AP

In fact, out of the top 15, only one is missing: the World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who had played in the first two editions. It is not just the world’s top men, but many of the strongest women are also here, including the World No. 1 and No. 2 Hou Yifan and Zhu Jiner, both from China, as well as the World No. 5 from Vijayawada, Koneru Humpy.

Six teams are in the fray: Triveni Continental Kings, the winner of both the editions so far, American Gambits, Alpine SG Pipers, PBG Alaskan Knights, Ganges Grandmasters and upGrad Mumba Masters. And they all look extremely strong!

(The writer is in Mumbai at the invitation of Tech Mahindra)

Published on Dec 13, 2025