Viswanathan Anand has been one of the defining faces of the Global Chess League since its first season. Seeing him in a new franchise's colours is one of Season 4's most striking images, and it puts the league's most recognisable ambassador on the Icon board in an Indian host city.
The squad
Board | Player |
Icon | Viswanathan Anand |
Superstar Men | Arjun Erigaisi, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus |
Superstar Women | Kateryna Lagno, Nino Batsiashvili |
Prodigy | Abhimanyu Mishra |
Coach | Swayams Mishra |
Retained | Arjun Erigaisi, Kateryna Lagno |
Team analysis
Behind Anand, the Knights have assembled the most generationally interesting line-up of the draft. Arjun Erigaisi, retained from last season, is joined by Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus — at 15, one of the most closely watched young players in world chess. The two have met before in classical competition, and having them on the same team is a notable piece of squad building.
Kateryna Lagno returns as a retention with a point to prove; her league record has not yet reflected her standing in the game, and she will be looking to correct that in Bengaluru. Nino Batsiashvili joins after a standout individual campaign in 2025.
On the Prodigy board, Abhimanyu Mishra — still the youngest grandmaster in history — makes his league debut, giving the Knights two of the sport's most talked-about teenagers in the same squad.
Storylines to watch
Anand on the Icon board for a new franchise
Erdogmus and Abhimanyu Mishra: two of the sport's biggest teenage names on one team
Kateryna Lagno chasing a league record that matches her reputation
Arjun Erigaisi as the squad's anchor at the peak of his powers
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
