Global Chess League Gears Up for an Electrifying Second Season

The Global Chess League is ready for its second season with 30 top chess players chosen by six franchises during the Player Draft held in New Delhi. Scheduled from October 3-12 in London, the event anticipates fierce competition and excitement following its successful inaugural edition.

The Global Chess League is prepared for an electrifying second season as 30 of the world's best chess players were selected by six franchises during the Player Draft held in New Delhi on Sunday. Building on the major success of the inaugural edition in Dubai last year, this season is scheduled to take place from October 3-12 at Friends House in London.

The six franchises—Alpine SG Pipers, Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters, PBG Alaskan Knights, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, and debutants American Gambits—engaged in a thrilling bidding process to form formidable squads. According to a release by the Global Chess League, each franchise had 1000 points at their disposal during the draft to fill their quotas of two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player, in addition to the previously announced Icons.

The roster of Icon players features heavyweights like Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings), and newcomers Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits) and Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights). The drafting began with Richard Rapport joining Alpine SG Pipers, who completed their Superstar Men slots by retaining Praggnanandhaa R.

American Gambits secured Vladislav Artemiev and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Ganges Grandmasters added Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo, while PBG Alaskan Knights picked Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and retained Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Meanwhile, Triveni Continental Kings drafted Wei Yi and Teimour Radjabov. Arjun Erigaisi, among the world's top five players, expressed, “The player draft was absolutely thrilling. I’m happy to join the Ganges Grandmasters and anticipate a fantastic event in London.”

The franchises invested heavily in securing top talent among Superstar Women. PBG Alaskan Knights kept Yan Zhongyi and signed Alina Kashlinskaya, while Ganges Grandmasters acquired Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova. Triveni Continental Kings added Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina to their roster.

American Gambits filled their Superstar Women slots with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Elisabeth Paehtz, while Mumba Masters retained Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. Four-time Women's World Champion Hou Yifan remarked, “I am thrilled to be a part of Global Chess League Season 2. The debut season in Dubai created a significant buzz and I am excited to join Alpine SG for this edition.”

PBG Alaskan Knights selected Nihal Sarin, and Mumba Masters used their remaining bid to secure Raunak Sadhwani. Other notable draft picks include Daniel Dardha for Alpine SG Pipers, Volodar Murzin for Ganges Grandmasters, Javokhir Sindarov for Triveni Continental Kings, and Jonas Buhl Bjerre for American Gambits. Nihal Sarin shared his excitement, “Being part of Global Chess League at my age is exhilarating. I look forward to learning from the veteran players and am excited to join PBG Alaskan Knights.”

With the player draft concluded, Sameer Pathak, CEO of Global Chess League, commented, “It was an action-packed Player Draft day. All franchises have assembled strong and balanced teams. The second season, hosted in London, promises to be bigger and more thrilling. Best wishes to all players and teams. We eagerly await an exciting tournament in October wherein each team will play 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner determined through a best-of-six board scoring system, according to the release.”