“This is more than a tournament; it is a landmark step for the global chess community,” said Peeyush Dubey, Chairperson of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. “We are opening the stage to aspiring players worldwide, allowing them to potentially compete alongside the greatest Grandmasters.”

The multi-tiered format will begin with the GCL Opens, where participants with an active Chess.com account and at least 25 games played compete in 18 rapid arenas representing franchise teams. The top qualifiers will progress to the GCL Knockouts rounds, followed by the Challengers Knockout, which includes Grandmasters and International Masters. Eventually, three category winners will emerge as GCL Season 3 ambassadors.

Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President, called the Contenders programme “an exciting step that unites professional and non-professional players,” while Chess.com Chief Chess Officer Danny Rensch hailed it as “a deeper and more expansive competitive ecosystem,” adding that India, host of Season 3, was the ideal venue.

The competition will span six time zones, from India to the US, UK, Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia, strengthening GCL’s ambition to grow as a truly global league.