Ganges Grandmasters raise the stakes at the player draft for the inaugural edition of the Global Chess League to be held in Dubai. Courtesy Tech Mahindra
The first Global Chess League player draft saw women’s top-ranked Grandmaster Hou Yifan become the star pick in a pool of 36 after the bidding process in Mumbai. The highly anticipated six-team tournament is scheduled to take place from June 21 to July 2 at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club, in association with the Dubai Sports Council.
A day after the owners of the six franchises were announced, the cream of world’s chess players – Yifan, Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Ding Liren and others – were picked from a purse of 1,000 points for each team. A joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, the GCL has captured the attention of chess enthusiasts worldwide, and where each team have players across four categories: Icon, Superstars Men, Superstars Women, and Prodigy. The Icon players were selected based on a preferential draft system.
Magnus Carlsen, the five-time World Chess Champion and the top-ranked player in the world was selected by SG Alpine Warriors. A five-time World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, joined the Ganges Grandmasters. The current World Champion, Ding Liren was drafted by Triveni Continental Kings. Other notable selections included Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda by Chingari Gulf Titans and Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi by Balan Alaskan Knights. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave joined upGrad Mumba Masters as their Icon player.
Yifan attracted the highest points’ bid across men and women categories when Ganges Grandmasters picked her for 470 points. “I am looking forward to being on the same team as Viswanathan Anand and also to have the likes of Richárd Rapport, Leinier Domínguez, Bella Khotenashvili, and Andrey Esipenko on our team,” she said.
upGrad Mumba Masters picked up the Indian pair of Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli at 360 and 330 points, respectively. Praggnanandhaa R became the highest-bid player among the U21 Prodigy category, won by SG Alpine Warriors at 290 points. Andrey Esipenko went to Ganges Grandmasters in a lucky draw after receiving an equal point bid by Triveni Continental Kings, who got Jonas Buhl Bjerre eventually.
“From being on opposite sides of the table with most players to being on the same team, I am excited to meet my teammates and see how we can make the most of this experience and apply it to future competitions,” said Praggnanandhaa.
To ensure the smooth progress of the tournament, there are 3 chess players who have been chosen as reserve players who will be assigned to the particular team in case, due to any unforeseen circumstances, the current squad member/s cannot participate.
The six teams will engage in a double round-robin format, playing a total of 10 matches. The matches will be decided using a best-of-six board scoring system, played simultaneously, adding an extra layer of excitement to the tournament. The top two teams will advance to the final on July 2, where the coveted title of World Champion Franchise Team will be awarded.
TEAMS
(Icon, Superstar Men (2), Superstar Women (2), Prodigy):
Dubai Police have warned residents not to fall for fake part-time job offers circulating on social media and messaging apps after uncovering a scam that tricked a young man into helping criminals move stolen money.
In a social media post, Dubai Police shared how the scam typically unfolds. The victim responded to an online advert promoting a work-from-home job with flexible hours and quick earnings. After being told he had been accepted, he was instructed to open a new bank account or use his existing one to receive and process what were described as customer payments.
Money was then deposited into his account, and he was instructed to transfer it to other bank accounts in exchange for a commission.
The scammers claimed he was working for an overseas financial services company, but investigators later discovered the transfers were linked to a criminal network.
The victim told police he believed the job was genuine and had no idea he was helping fraudsters.
How the scam works
Police said these scams usually begin with online job ads offering fast cash for simple tasks.
Victims may then be asked to:
Use their bank account to receive and transfer money.
Pay registration or activation fees.
Share personal or banking details.
Complete financial transactions for a commission.
Authorities warned that scammers often use unsuspecting people’s bank accounts to move illegally obtained funds, which could leave the account holder facing serious legal consequences.
How to stay safe
Dubai Police urged job seekers to:
Verify employers before accepting any job offer.
Never share bank details with unknown individuals or companies.
Avoid jobs that ask you to transfer money on behalf of others.
Ignore employers requesting upfront payments or registration fees.
Anyone who receives a suspicious job offer is encouraged to report it through Dubai Police’s eCrime platform or by calling 901 for non-emergency assistance.
Getting around Dubai without a car just became a little easier.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has expanded its Bus-On-Demand service to Al Satwa, Al Quoz and Mirdif, taking the total number of neighbourhoods covered across the city to 20.
The app-based service is designed to make short trips quicker and more convenient by connecting residential communities with nearby Metro stations and public transport hubs.
The expansion comes as more residents continue to use the service. During the first six months of 2026, Bus-On-Demand carried more than 527,000 passengers, a 25.1 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
June was the busiest month so far, with 105,990 passengers using the service.
To meet growing demand, the RTA has increased the fleet to 55 buses while expanding the service area by 54 per cent.
How to book
Booking a ride is simple. Download the Dubai Bus-On-Demand app, create an account and choose your pick-up and drop-off locations.
Passengers can pay using credit cards, debit cards or nol cards directly through the app.
Areas covered
The service is now available in:
Al Barsha
Al Nahda
Dubai Silicon Oasis
Dubai Academic City
Al Rigga
Port Saeed
Business Bay
Downtown Dubai
Oud Metha
Al Karama
Barsha Heights
Al Mankhool
DIFC
Al Warqaa
Dubai Investment Park
Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)
Al Qusais
Al Satwa
Al Quoz
Mirdif
The RTA says it will continue expanding the service as part of Dubai’s plan to make public transport smarter, more convenient and more sustainable.
Rain continued to sweep across parts of the UAE on Wednesday, with showers reported in Bada Zayed in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region in the afternoon and early evening in Siji, Fujairah, as unstable weather conditions persisted.
The rainfall comes as convective clouds continue to develop across several parts of the country, creating the potential for more showers through the evening.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said unstable weather is expected until 10pm, with convective clouds likely to bring rainfall of varying intensity, strong winds and reduced visibility in some areas.
Residents in affected areas are advised to stay updated with the latest weather alerts and drive carefully, as sudden rain and blowing dust could impact road conditions.
Weather maps show the heaviest cloud cover over large parts of Al Dhafra, with additional cloud formations developing over parts of Al Ain and the Ras Al Khaimah-Fujairah border.
Videos shared on social media showed rain falling in the UAE on Wednesday afternoon, with local weather trackers reporting good rainfall across the area.
The NCM has advised residents in affected areas to stay updated with the latest weather alerts, as convective clouds can develop quickly and may bring sudden showers, gusty winds and blowing dust.
Forecasters continue to monitor the situation and are expected to issue further updates if weather conditions change.