Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri will join former world champions Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand and stars like Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi as “icon players” in the second season of the Global Chess League. The second season of the league will be held from October 3 to 12 at Friends House in London.

While Nakamura will play for the newest team American Gambits, Giri will make his debut in the second season with PBG Alaskan Knights.

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“I followed the Global Chess League in its first season and was hooked to the format. It is an exciting opportunity not only for the top players, but also for fans as they get to pick a team with their favorite players to cheer on. I am excited to be a part of the American Gambits team, and I look forward to meeting my teammates in London,” Nakamura said.

Meanwhile, Carlsen, who featured in the first season of the Global Chess League, will continue to play for Alpine SG Pipers while five-time world champion Anand will once again represent Ganges Grandmasters.

“The first season in Dubai was a fantastic experience. Chess has been an individual sport, but the concept of a team setting introduced by the Global Chess League is very exciting and refreshing. I look forward to playing again with the Alpine SG Pipers,” Carlsen said.

After taking the Mumba Masters to the final last season, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will again play for the Mumbai-based franchise. Two-time world chess championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi will be the icon player for the Triveni Continental Kings.

While announcing the names of the icon players, Sameer Pathak, CEO of Global Chess League, revealed that the organisers would be announcing the rest of the players for each of the six teams in the coming weeks.

“With such renowned names at the helm of each team, we are confident that the exciting matches will offer millions of chess fans an incredible experience,” Pathak said.

Anand, the five-time world champion and the Icon player for Ganges Grandmasters, said, “The inaugural season was a huge success with some very exciting matches. Chess is widely played across the world, and the game being televised in this unique format will only add to its popularity. I believe that fans who tune in will get to see intense battles between teams playing chess at their highest level. I am excited to be back playing for Ganges Grandmasters.”

The league will feature a minimum of three marquee showdowns every day between the Icon players as they lead their teams into the chess arena. The first-of-its-kind franchise-based league will feature a total of six teams. Each team will consist of six players, including one Icon player, two superstar male players, two superstar female players, and one prodigy player.