Viswanathan Anand
Five-time World Champion
Magnus Carlsen
Five-time World Champion
Grand Open
CircleChess X GCL — Grand Rapid Rated Chess Tournament
Road To GCL
₹4,00,000 prize pool, ₹4,00,000 in Caissa subscriptions, and free passes to the Global Chess League in Bengaluru — four ways to win one.
₹1,500 ENTRY · LAST 200 SEATS REMAINING · NO SPOT ENTRIES
The tournament
A FIDE rated rapid open, the biggest open field in the city this year
Nine rounds of Swiss System rapid under FIDE Laws at 10 minutes + 5 seconds, on Wednesday 26 August at Koramangala Indoor Stadium. Every game counts towards your FIDE rapid rating — and towards a Global Chess League pass.
FIDE
RATED · AICF SANCTIONED
1000+
PLAYERS EXPECTED
20+
IMs AND GRANDMASTERS
9
ROUNDS · 10+5 RAPID
What's on the table
₹4,00,000 in cash, ₹4,00,000 in Caissa subscriptions, and GCL passes.
Open to every level
Unrated club players, 1400s chasing a band prize, kids in U7–U13, veterans at 60+, and titled players entering free — all in the same nine rounds.
One Wednesday, start to finish
Report at 8:30 AM, round one at 9:00, prize distribution at 6:30 PM. Chess sets and clocks provided; e-certificates for every player.
Free GCL passes
Get a free Global Chess League pass — four ways to win one
Play the tournament on Wednesday 26 August and you're in the running for a free pass to Tech Mahindra Global Chess League Season 4 in Bengaluru. Passes go to the top 20 finishers, every 50th place on the standings, ten schools and ten academies — no rating floor on any of them.
Free entry pass
WHAT YOU WIN
3–13 Sept 2026
WHEN GCL PLAYS
Bengaluru
WHERE — FIRST TIME
36 GMs · 6 teams
WHO YOU WATCH
TOTAL PASSES 60 · 20 TOP · 20 EVERY 50TH · 10 SCHOOL · 10 ACADEMY
Finish 50th and you're going. Or 100th. Or 150th.
Twenty passes go to every 50th place on the final standings — no rating floor, no cut-off.
Season 4 · Bengaluru
The league you're winning a seat to
Season 4 of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League — a Tech Mahindra × FIDE joint venture — runs in Bengaluru from 3 to 13 September 2026. Full squads and schedule at globalchessleague.com.
3–13 Sept 2026
ELEVEN DAYS
Bengaluru
FIRST TIME IN THE CITY
6 franchises · 36 GMs
ANNOUNCED PLAYER POOL
Who's coming to Bengaluru
globalchessleague.com →Magnus Carlsen
Five-time World Champion
Viswanathan Anand
Five-time World Champion
Alireza Firouzja
Grandmaster · world top 10
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Grandmaster · former World Blitz Champion
Javokhir Sindarov
Grandmaster · prodigy
Ian Nepomniachtchi
Two-time World Championship challenger
ALSO IN THE POOL — KONERU HUMPY · DIVYA DESHMUKH · LEVON ARONIAN
Squads and schedule announced by GCL. Player participation subject to change. Franchise photography supplied by the organisers.
₹1,500 ENTRY · LAST 200 SEATS REMAINING · NO SPOT ENTRIES
Prize pool
₹4,00,000
₹4,00,000 in cash prizes, plus ₹4,00,000 in Caissa subscriptions.
ONE PRIZE PER PLAYER — THE HIGHER ONE ONLY.
Main ranks
| RANK | PRIZE | AWARD |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹40,000 | Trophy |
| 2 | ₹30,000 | Trophy |
| 3 | ₹20,000 | Trophy |
| 4 | ₹15,000 | Trophy |
| 5 | ₹10,000 | Trophy |
| 6 | ₹9,000 | Medal |
| 7 | ₹8,000 | Medal |
| 8 | ₹7,500 | Medal |
| 9 | ₹7,000 | Medal |
| 10 | ₹6,000 | Medal |
| 11–20 | ₹4,000 | each |
| 21–30 | ₹3,000 | each |
| 31–50 | ₹2,500 | each |
Your rating band has its own six-deep prize ladder
The same ladder runs in each of five bands, so a 1450-rated player is competing for prizes against 1450-rated players.
| PLACE IN BAND | PRIZE |
|---|---|
| 1 | ₹5,000 |
| 2 | ₹4,000 |
| 3 | ₹3,000 |
| 4 | ₹2,500 |
| 5 | ₹2,000 |
| 6 | ₹1,500 |
Special categories
Age categories
Kids play the same 9 rounds alongside the open field, with age-group trophies awarded separately.
| CATEGORY | DATE OF BIRTH | BOYS | GIRLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| U7 | after 01-Jan-2019 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 |
| U9 | after 01-Jan-2017 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 |
| U11 | after 01-Jan-2015 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 |
| U13 | after 01-Jan-2013 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 | Trophies 1–5 · Medals 6–10 |
Every player also gets Caissa
10% off Caissa School of Chess and one month of Caissa free — part of the ₹4,00,000 in subscriptions.
Trusted by World Champion Gukesh
5000+ students
Register
Register here
Message us your details, we'll confirm and send the payment link.
Prefer to talk to a human? Message us and we'll take your details.
Chat on WhatsApp →₹1,500 · LAST 200 SEATS REMAINING · NO SPOT ENTRIES
Free entry for grandmasters, international masters, woman grandmasters and woman international masters.
Early bird and launch-day pricing closed on 18 August. Regular entry is ₹1,500.
Need an AICF ID? Message us on WhatsApp or write to support@circlechess.com and we'll help you get one.
SCAN TO REGISTER
Who's in
Registered players
The live list of everyone registered so far — search by name to find yours.
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Venue and day
Koramangala Indoor Stadium
KHB Games Village, 3rd Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560095
THE DAY
Chess sets and clocks are provided. E-certificates for all players. Photo ID and AICF ID required at reporting.
Round schedule
Nine rounds, one day
Wednesday 26 August 2026 · all times IST · 10 minutes + 5 seconds per game.
Rules and regulations
Read before you pay
No spot entries
Registration closes before the day. Entries are not accepted at the venue.
Phones and bags barred
Electronic devices and bags are not permitted in the playing arena. A deposit facility is provided.
One prize per player
A player winning in more than one category receives the higher prize only.
Be present at distribution
Prizes are forfeited if the player is absent from the prize distribution at 6:30 PM.
- The tournament is open to any person from India. An active AICF ID is required; Karnataka players must also hold a KSCA ID.
- The event is played on the Swiss System over 9 rounds under the FIDE Laws of Chess for rapid play.
- Time control is 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move from move one. Default time for a walkover is 10 minutes.
- Entry fee is ₹1,500 and is strictly non-refundable and non-transferable. There are no spot entries.
- Grandmasters, international masters, woman grandmasters and woman international masters are exempt from the entry fee.
- Players must report by 8:30 AM with photo ID and AICF ID. Round one begins at 9:00 AM.
- Electronic devices, including mobile phones, and bags are not permitted in the playing arena. A deposit facility is provided.
- A player who wins in more than one category will receive the higher prize only.
- Prizes are forfeited if the player is not present at the prize distribution ceremony at 6:30 PM.
- A player may withdraw at any stage after informing the Chief Arbiter in writing.
- Any protest must be submitted in writing to the Chief Arbiter within 10 minutes of the incident, along with a fee of ₹1,000. The fee is refunded if the protest is upheld.
- A five-member Appeals Committee will be constituted before round one. Its decision is final and binding.
- Age category eligibility is determined by date of birth as stated in the age category table. Proof of date of birth must be produced on request.
- The decision of the Chief Arbiter is final in all matters of play, pairings and tie-breaks.
- The organisers reserve the right to alter the schedule, format or prize structure if circumstances require, with prior announcement.
- By registering, players consent to photography and video recording at the venue for use by CircleChess and its partners.
Play on Wednesday. Watch the world play in September.
₹1,500 ENTRY · LAST 200 SEATS REMAINING · NO SPOT ENTRIES
