Global Chess League - Live!

by ChessBase
12/14/2025 – The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League returns for its third season from 14 to 23 December, continuing its franchise-based format that combines elite male and female players. Featuring a team structure with fixed lineups, the league again brings together established stars and juniors, with the title to be decided through a double round-robin stage followed by a two-match final. | Follow the action live starting at 12.30 CET (6.30 ET, 17.00 IST)
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Day 1

The third season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (TechM GCL) is taking place from 14 to 23 December, continuing the franchise-based competition that brings together elite players in mixed-gender teams. The league features a joint team format, with men and women competing alongside each other, and carries a total prize fund of $1,000,000.

Each team fields six players in a fixed order for the duration of the event. The highest-rated player, designated as the Icon, plays on board one. Boards two and three must be occupied by men, boards four and five by women, and board six by a junior player born in 2003 or later. This composition rule is a defining feature of the league and is designed to integrate established stars with younger talent in a single competitive framework.

The competitive structure of the league is divided into a Preliminary Stage and a Final, with progression and the title decided through a combination of game results and match outcomes.

All games are played with 20 minutes for the entire game, with a 2-second increment starting from move 41.

Live games and commentary

Teams

Global Chess League 2025

Triveni Continental Kings upGrad Mumbai Masters Ganges Grandmasters
Icon GM A. Firouzja GM M. Vachier-Lagrave GM Vishy Anand
Superstar Men GM Wei Yi GM W. So GM V. Keymer
Superstar Men GM Vidit Gujrathi GM S. Mamedyarov GM J. Sindarov
Superstar Women GM A. Kosteniuk GM Koneru Humpy IM S. Tsolakidou
Superstar Women GM Zhu Jiner GM Harika Dronavalli IM P. Shuvalova
Prodigy GM M. Maurizzi GM B. Daneshvar GM R. Sadhwani
Alpine SG Pipers American Gambits PBG Alaskan Knights
Icon GM F. Caruana GM H. Nakamura GM Gukesh D.
Superstar Men GM Praggnanandhaa R. GM R. Rapport GM A. Erigaisi
Superstar Men GM A. Giri GM V. Artemiev GM L. Dominguez
Superstar Women GM Hou Yifan GM B. Assaubayeva IM S. Khadem
Superstar Women GM N. Batsiashvili IM T. Injac GM K. Lagno
Prodigy GM L. Mendonca GM V. Murzin GM D. Dardha

Links

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See also

Third season of Global Chess League set to kick off with star-studded field

12/14/2025 – The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League returns for its third season from 14 to 23 December, continuing its franchise-based format that combines elite male and female players in the same teams. Featuring a $1,000,000 prize fund and a joint team structure with fixed lineups, the league again brings together established stars and juniors, with the title to be decided through a double round-robin stage followed by a two-match final.
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Global Chess League launches GCL Contenders 2025

8/29/2025 – The Global Chess League (GCL) has announced an unprecedented initiative with the launch of GCL Contenders 2025, a two-month global tournament that will open doors for amateurs and professionals alike. Three winners - one each from the Male, Female and U21 categories - will secure lifetime opportunities as ambassadors for GCL Season 3, set to begin on 13 December. Registration opens on 28 August, with the event providing a direct pathway for grassroots talent to compete alongside the world's elite Grandmasters.
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Video

60m English New ideas in the Najdorf_E

‘New ideas in the Najdorf – a Power Play 18 Update’ aims to complement Daniel King’s popular DVD from last year ‘The Sicilian Najdorf - a repertoire for Black’. Such a dynamic and popular opening as the Najdorf is developing the whole time. On this download, Daniel King updates lines that were included on his DVD but also responds to viewers’ requests, considering lines that he omitted from his original repertoire. The lines examined on this update are: • 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 h3 e5 7 Nde2 • 5….a6 6 Bc4 in combination with the English Attack (Be3, f3 etc) • 5…a6 6 Be3 and the …a5 variation • 5…a6 6 Be2 and 9 Re1 • 5 f3 (instead of 5 Nc3) It isn’t necessary to have seen the original Najdorf DVD to understand the lines examined here – but it would help as they form part of a complete repertoire.