Global Chess League Season 4 Draft: Full Squads Announced as Anand Joins PBG, Nihal Sarin Signs for FYERS

The Global Chess League began its Season 4 player draft in Mumbai on Monday, setting up the event for Bengaluru from September 3 to 13. The joint Tech Mahindra and FIDE league saw Nihal Sarin join FYERS American Gambits, while Viswanathan Anand moved to PBG Alaskan Knights for the first time in league history.

Defending champions Alpine APL Pipers kept Magnus Carlsen and added Divya Deshmukh, while Ganges Grandmasters brought in Levon Aronian. upGrad Mumba Masters stayed steady with key retainers, and Triveni Continental Kings again built around Alireza Firouzja and Wei Yi. Season 4 follows earlier editions in Dubai, London and Mumbai.

Draft moves shape key squads

Gourav Rakshit, Commissioner, Global Chess League, said the competition has grown over three seasons into one of the marquee events on the international chess calendar. He said the aim is not to change chess, but to widen how it is experienced and grow its global reach.

FYERS American Gambits first won 2026 Candidates winner Javokhir Sindarov, then secured Sarin after a competitive battle. Sarin became the first Indian to win the Bullet Chess Championship and joins a young squad that also includes Daniil Dubov, Sara Khadem, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Marc'Andria Maurizzi.

Prachura PP, co-owner, FYERS American Gambits, said the team is happy with its mix and expects Bengaluru support. He called it a young side and said the franchise will show others that it is the “home” team in the city.

Alpine APL Pipers kept six-time World Rapid Champion Magnus Carlsen and GCL Season 3 Finals MVP Anish Giri, then added Women’s Chess World Cup 2025 winner Divya Deshmukh, Koneru Humpy, Vidit Gujrathi and reigning World Rapid Champion Volodar Murzin. Coach Pravin Thipsay said the title defence will be harder this year.

Triveni Continental Kings retained Season 3 MVP Alireza Firouzja, Wei Yi and Zhu Jiner, then brought back Alexandra Kosteniuk and added Aravindh Chithambaram and Pranav Venkatesh. CEO Akash Premsen said team balance matters and described the squad as one to watch in Season 4.

PBG Alaskan Knights paired Anand with retained star Arjun Erigaisi and also signed Turkish debutant Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Nino Batsiashvili. Team owner Punit Balan said the squad brings together two eras of Indian chess greatness. Ganges Grandmasters, meanwhile, added Nepomniachtchi, Aronian, Leinier Dominguez and Leon Luke Mendonca.

Season 4 format and teams

The league will run for 11 days with six teams in a round-robin phase, where each side plays the others twice. The top two teams will move to the Grand Finale. Each franchise fields six players: one Icon, two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women and one Prodigy.