Global Chess League 3: World Champion Gukesh returns to GCL, but Magnus Carlsen to skip this season

Joining Gukesh will be top stars like five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

While Magnus Carlsen will not compete in Global Chess League's third season, Vishy Anand and world champion Gukesh Dommaraju have confirmed their participation for GCL 3. (PHOTOS: GCL)

Chess legend Magnus Carlsen will be a notable absence from the third season of the Global Chess League, which will be held in India this year, after turning out for the past two editions. However, the chess league has been handed a boost by world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, who has confirmed that he will be in action this year after skipping the second season to prepare for his World Chess Championship bid.

The GCL will hold its draft in Mumbai ahead of the third season.

Joining Gukesh will be top stars like five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who will be top boards for teams. Joining this list of players will be stars like R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, World Cup runner-up Koneru Humpy, four-time women’s world champion Hou Yifan, and Anish Giri. The U-21 Prodigy category will feature Volodar Murzin, Winner 2024 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship, and Marc’Andria Maurizzi, the 2023 World Junior champion.

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The Triveni Continental Kings are the only GCL side to have a non-Indian captain in the form of Dutch grandmaster and national chess coach for the Italian team Loek van Wely, who was also part of the side in the first season. (GCL/Michal Falusza)

Franchises will build their rosters over four draft rounds in Mumbai this week, and the pool will be segmented into Icon Players, Men’s, Women’s, and U-21 Prodigy categories.

The franchises for Season 3 are defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, PBG Alaskan Knights, UpGrad Mumba Masters, Ganges Grandmasters, Alpine SG Pipers, and American Gambits.

“GCL is more than a tournament — it’s a celebration of intelligence, teamwork, and creativity. It combines tradition with innovation and creates a platform worthy of the game’s global stature. I’m proud to see such a league emerging from India onto the world stage,” said five-time World Champion, Viswanathan Anand.

“The GCL Season 3 draft marks another exciting milestone for the league as we bring together exceptional talent from across the globe. This season promises bigger battles, mega moves, and a new wave of chess innovation for fans. With every season, we’re not just building teams- we’re elevating the future of chess and inspiring a new generation of players and enthusiasts,” said Peeyush Dubey, Chairperson, Tech Mahindra Global Chess League.