Global Chess League 2026 Opens in Bengaluru With Indian Wins

The Global Chess League 2026 began in Bengaluru, with Pranesh M beating Anish Giri, Vidit beating Mamedyarov and Koneru Humpy beating Carissa Yip.

The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2026 began yesterday in Bengaluru, and Indian players made an immediate impact. Six franchise teams are competing, each made up of world-class grandmasters, top women players and talented young stars.

The league is played in a team format. Each team has six players, and in every match each player faces the player on the same board of the other team. Games are rapid, with 20 minutes per player. An increment of 2 seconds per move is added only from move 41. The six teams play a double round-robin league, and the top two reach the final.

The first day produced several eye-catching results for Indian fans. Playing for CheQ Mumba Masters, Pranesh M beat Anish Giri of the Alpine APL Pipers. In the same match Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, playing for the Pipers, beat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Koneru Humpy beat Carissa Yip. Dronavalli Harika won an all-Indian game against Divya Deshmukh.

Nihal Sarin had a strong start for the FYERS American Gambits. He drew with Arjun Erigaisi in the opening match, then beat Wei Yi later in the day. His teammate Javokhir Sindarov beat the legendary Viswanathan Anand, and Daniil Dubov and MarcAndria Maurizzi also won.

There were young Indian winners too. Aravindh Chithambaram beat Leinier Dominguez Perez, and Pranav V beat Leon Luke Mendonca, both playing for Triveni Continental Kings. For the Ganges Grandmasters, Levon Aronian beat Wei Yi and Stavroula Tsolakidou beat Alexandra Kosteniuk.

Team leagues like this give young players a rare chance to sit in the same room as legends such as Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand. Students can learn a lot from watching how these players prepare, how they behave after wins and losses, and how they support their teammates.

There is one more lesson in the format. Every board counts the same. A win on the last board helps the team just as much as a win on the first, so every player knows their game matters.

The league stage continues until 12 September, followed by the final on 13 September.