If any franchise drafted for pedigree, it was the Ganges Grandmasters. Ian Nepomniachtchi, a two-time Candidates winner, takes the Icon board, supported by Levon Aronian — a former league Icon himself — and Leinier Dominguez. Between them, the top three boards carry more elite match experience than any other trio in the competition.

The squad

Team analysis

Aronian and Dominguez are also long-standing friends, which matters more in a team format than it might appear. Squad chemistry has repeatedly proved decisive in this league, and the Grandmasters have built a top half that should function comfortably together from the first round.

The franchise retained both of its women's superstars. Polina Shuvalova and Stavroula Tsolakidou are combative rapid players capable of taking down anyone on the day, and continuity was clearly the priority — a deliberate contrast to the wholesale rebuilds elsewhere in the draft.

Leon Mendonca, one of Indian chess's rising names, takes the Prodigy board in what is his final season of eligibility there. He arrives from a title-winning campaign with another franchise and will want to sign off in style.

Storylines to watch

• Aronian returning to the league in a Superstar role after previously serving as an Icon

• The Aronian–Dominguez friendship as a team-chemistry asset

• Leon Mendonca's last season on the Prodigy board

• Whether retention pays off on the women's boards

The fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League runs from 3–13 September 2026 in Bengaluru. Each franchise fields an Icon, two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women and a Prodigy, competing under the league's signature scoring system — four points for a win with Black, three with White.

Author: Sagar Saha