Argentina’s Faustino Oro, nicknamed the ‘Messi of Chess’, and Indian chess prodigy Pranesh M headline the list of 12 Grandmasters and International Masters who have joined the GCL Contenders 2025 Knockout Challengers Round, where they will face qualifiers from earlier rounds for three coveted ambassador spots at Global Chess League (GCL) season 3. The GCL, a joint initiative between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, will take place at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai from December 13 to 24, bringing together some of the sport’s greatest names under one roof.

Oro, 11, gained global attention after defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz match, later becoming the world’s youngest-ever player to cross the 2500 Elo mark in early 2025. He joins the Prodigies (U21) section of the Contender

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