Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen will return to the Global Chess League after a year’s absence, while reigning FIDE Women’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh is set to make her debut in the fourth edition of the tournament.

The organisers announced on Saturday that the player draft will be held in Mumbai on June 29, with the competition scheduled to take place in Bengaluru from September 3 to 13.

The Season 4 player pool comprises 36 grandmasters from across generations, including world champions, World Cup winners, Olympiad medallists and leading names from the international chess circuit.

Teams will assemble squads of six players through the draft, selecting one icon player, two superstar men, two superstar women and one prodigy. The league will continue with its six-board rapid format.

Also read: Norway Chess: Praggnanandhaa in three-way battle for title

The draft pool features five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, 2025 FIDE World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov, Women’s World Rapid champion Koneru Humpy, former Women’s World champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, World Championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, and former World Cup champion and Olympiad gold medallist Levon Aronian.

Also included are reigning World Rapid champion Volodar Murzin and Indian grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca.

According to the organisers, franchises will have a broad mix of retained stars and draft entrants to build balanced squads across the four player categories.

Carlsen’s return is expected to add further star power to the league, while Divya’s inclusion follows her breakthrough success on the international stage with her Women’s World Cup triumph.