The Global Chess League (GCL), a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, has confirmed the line-up of its six franchises and remaining key players for the inaugural edition, which will run from June 21 to July 2. The league will next hold a players’ draft, where franchise owners will select players for their respective teams.
The GCL aims to redefine the world of chess by bringing together the brightest stars in the game, including Viswanathan Anand, Ding Liren, Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hou Yifan, Kateryna Lagno and others, alongside distinguished franchise owners.
U SPORTS, Insurekot Sports (ISPL), Punit Balan Group, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd, Chingari App, and APL Apollo-led SG Sports are the franchises committed to propelling the chess revolution forward. The league will make its first bow at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club with the support of Dubai Sports Council.
Jagdish Mitra, Chairperson of the Global Chess League Board said, “With a cutting-edge broadcast reaching 600 million viewers in 160 countries, GCL will captivate new fans worldwide. We are delighted to have found the right partners to establish GCL’s strong presence across continents and look forward to creating a lasting legacy.”
- U SPORTS, led by Ronnie Screwvala, renowned for its sporting successes in sports like Kabaddi, Table Tennis, and eSports in India, will make its international debut with the upGrad Mumba Masters team in the GCL.
- Ganges Grandmasters are led by Insurekot Sports (ISPL), an entity owned by Suresh Kotak. It also owns the Pro Kabaddi League team & Ultimate Table Tennis League team, Puneri Paltan.
- The Punit Balan Group will own the team Balan Alaskan Knights. The PBG has invested heavily across various sports leagues in India over the last two years.
- Triveni Engineering & Industries Limited, one of the largest integrated sugar manufacturers in India and a leading player in engineering businesses around power transmission and Water & Wastewater treatment solutions, make their sports debut with Triveni Continental Kings.
- Tech4Billion Group, the world’s fastest-growing social networking app Chingari, will make a bow in the sports business with Chingari Gulf Titans.
- Rounding up the tally is APL Apollo-led SG Sports, one of India’s largest and most trusted building material company, who have named their team SG Alpine Warriors.
The annual GCL tournament will introduce a unique mixed-team format, wherein each of the six franchises will engage in a total of 10 matches played in a double round-robin style. In this exciting setup, the winner of each match will be determined through a best-of-six board scoring system, played simultaneously. The top two teams will proceed to the final, where the ultimate honour of being crowned the World Champion Franchise Team awaits.
