The Global Chess League, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, held its first draft for the highly anticipated inaugural edition in Mumbai. The GCL, scheduled to take place from June 21st to July 2nd, 2023, at the Dubai Chess & Culture Club in association with the Dubai Sports Council, has captured the attention of chess enthusiasts worldwide, with renowned players like Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Ding Liren, and Hou Yifan leading the pack.
The draft witnessed the selection of 36 of the world’s best chess players, who were drafted by six GCL franchises: Ganges Grandmasters owned by Suresh Kotak led-Insurekot Sports (ISPL), Triveni Continental Kings owned by Triveni Group (Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd. and Triveni Turbine Ltd.), SG Alpine Warriors owned by APL Apollo-led SG Sports, Chingari Gulf Titans owned by Chingari App (Tech4Billion Group), upGrad Mumba Masters owned by Ronnie Screwvala led-U SPORTS, and Balan Alaskan Knights owned by Punit Balan Group (PBG).
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In a thrilling bidding process, Magnus Carlsen, the Five-time World Chess Champion and the top-ranked player in the world was selected by the SG Alpine Warriors. The five-time World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, joined the Ganges Grandmasters. The current World Champion, Ding Liren was drafted by Triveni Continental Kings. Other notable selections included Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda by Chingari Gulf Titans and Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi by Balan Alaskan Knights. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave joined upGrad Mumba Masters as their ICON player.
Each team was allocated a total of 1000 points to be used while choosing players from categories two, three and four, barring the ICONS. The ICON players were selected for the team based on a preferential draft system.
Praggnanandhaa R takes the kitty in Prodigy category
The last category in the draft was the prodigy category, each franchise picked up 1 each. Praggnanandhaa R became the highest bid players among the U21 category by being bid by the SG Alpine Warriors at 290 points. Nihal Sarin went to Chingari Gulf Titans, whereas Andrey Esipenko went to Ganges Grandmasters in a lucky draw after receiving an equal point bid by the Triveni Continental Kings. While Jonas Buhl Bjerre was picked by Triveni Continental Kings.
“I am delighted to be a part of team SG Alpine Warriors. From being on opposite sides of the table with most players to being on the same team, I am excited to meet my teammates and see how we can make the most of this experience and apply it to future competitions,” said Praggnanandhaa R who was drafted to the SG Alpine Warriors.
The Global Chess League will showcase an intense competition as each of the six franchises will engage in a double round-robin format, playing a total of 10 matches. The matches will be decided using a best-of-six board scoring system, played simultaneously, adding an extra layer of excitement to the tournament. The top two teams emerging from the league will advance to the final, scheduled for July 2nd, 2023, where the coveted title of World Champion Franchise Team will be awarded.
To ensure the smooth progress of the tournament, there are 3 Chess players who have been chosen as reserve players who will be assigned to the particular team in case, due to any unforeseen circumstances, the current squad member/s cannot participate.
Final Squad
| Team | Balan Alaskan Knights | Chingari Gulf Titans | Ganges Grandmasters | SG Alpine Warriors | upGrad Mumba Masters | Triveni Continental Kings |
| Icon Player | Ian Nepomniachtchi | Jan-Krzysztof Duda | Viswanathan Anand, | Magnus Carlsen | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Ding Liren |
| Superstar Men 1 | Teimour Radjabov | Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | Richárd Rapport | Gukesh D | Vidit Gujrathi | Wei Yi |
| Superstar Men 2 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Daniil Dubov | Leinier Domínguez Pérez | Arjun Erigaisi | Alexander Grischuk | Yu Yangyi |
| Superstar Women 1 | Tan Zhongyi | Alexandra Kosteniuk | Hou Yifan | Elisabeth Pähtz | Koneru Humpy | Kateryna Lagno |
| Superstar Women 2 | Nino Batsiashvili | Polina Shuvalova | Bella Khotenashvili | Irina Krush | Harika Dronavalli | Nana Dzagnidze |
| Prodigy | Raunak Sadhwani | Nihal Sarin | Andrey Esipenko | Praggnanandhaa R | Javokhir Sindarov | Jonas Buhl Bjerre |
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