Harika Dronavalli at the Global Chess League

FIDE title

Grandmaster

Federation

India

2026 team

CheQ Mumba Masters

2026 board

Superstar, women's boards

Seasons

2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

FIDE id

5015197

Harika is one of the few players who has stayed with one franchise in every season. She has played a women's Superstar board for the Mumba Masters since 2023 and continues with the CheQ Mumba Masters in 2026.

In the 2026 season Harika plays for the CheQ Mumba Masters on one of the two Superstar women's boards. The season runs from 5 to 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India.

Global Chess League record

In 2023 the upGrad Mumba Masters reached the first league final in Dubai and lost to the Triveni Continental Kings on a sudden-death tiebreak after one match each. In 2024 the Masters did not reach the final in London, and in 2025 they finished fifth in Mumbai.

1. 1.2023: upGrad Mumba Masters, Superstar (women's boards). Team result: runners-up.
2. 2.2024: upGrad Mumba Masters, Superstar (women's boards). Team result: did not reach the final.
3. 3.2025: upGrad Mumba Masters, Superstar (women's boards). Team result: fifth.

Career highlights

1. 1.Bronze medals at the Women's World Championship knockouts of 2012, 2015 and 2017.
2. 2.Team gold with India at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
3. 3.Two gold medals at the 2026 Asian women's championships.
4. 4.Recipient of the Arjuna Award, India's national sports honour.
5. 5.Has played every Global Chess League season for the Mumba Masters, including the 2023 final.
6. 6.On the September 2026 FIDE rating list, Harika is rated 2453 in classical chess, 2415 in rapid and 2355 in blitz.

2026 season

Harika Dronavalli plays the 2026 season with the CheQ Mumba Masters, which runs from 5 to 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India. Harika's squad mates are Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Pranesh M, Carissa Yip and Bardiya Daneshvar.

Each Global Chess League match is played on six boards of rapid chess, one board per squad member, and a win with Black earns the team more game points than a win with White. The format and scoring page explains the points. Matches are streamed free; the how-to-watch page lists the streams and the IST start times.

• —Matches played: 4
• —Match points: 6
• —Game points: 36
• —Position: 2 of 6

1. 1.Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST: CheQ Mumba Masters 8–10 Alpine APL Pipers
2. 2.Sunday 6 September, 17:00 IST: PBG Alaskan Knights 11–6 CheQ Mumba Masters
3. 3.Sunday 6 September, 20:00 IST: CheQ Mumba Masters 10–9 Triveni Continental Kings
4. 4.Monday 7 September, 17:00 IST: CheQ Mumba Masters 12–3 Ganges Grandmasters

Results were last checked on 7 September 2026 at 8:44 PM IST.

The 2026 final is scheduled for Sunday 13 September 2026 in Bengaluru, India. The champion appears here after the final.

2026 games

Harika has 4 finished games in the 2026 season: 2 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses, 8 team points earned.

1. 1.Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST: board 4, White against Divya Deshmukh (Alpine APL Pipers), win.
2. 2.Sunday 6 September, 17:00 IST: board 4, Black against Lagno, Kateryna (PBG Alaskan Knights), draw.
3. 3.Sunday 6 September, 20:00 IST: board 4, White against Zhu, Jiner (Triveni Continental Kings), win.
4. 4.Monday 7 September, 17:00 IST: board 4, White against Shuvalova, Polina (Ganges Grandmasters), draw.

Daily reports mentioning Harika

1. 1.Day 1: Gambits win twice to take the first lead
2. 2.Day 2: Grandmasters stop Gambits as three teams tie

Frequently asked questions

More on the league: the Global Chess League 2026 hub, the schedule, the points table and the league overview with every season since 2023.