Sports
Top chess players to kick off global league in Dubai?
After couple of red herrings in announcements, the final touches to the proposed Global Chess League are being applied, and the latest buzzword is that Dubai will likely host the inaugural season.
Touted as the world’s largest and first-ever league-styled chess tournament, the dates, format and now the logo has been confirmed for the next biggest thing in the sport.
Set to be held from June 21 to July 2, the GCL had its logo unveiled symbolically 64 days before the event makes the first official move at a yet undisclosed location. Briefly the organisers, with Indian maestro Vishwanathan Anand as mentor, tinkered with the concept of a phygital format due to Covid.
But Headline understands the event will now begin at the world hub of the UAE. Dubai can facilitate a central location for the six teams with six players each, including a minimum of two female players and one icon player per team.
A representative picture of the Indian chess team which participated in the 2022 Olympiad
The GCL is a joint venture by FIDE and Tech Mahindra. The logo, depicting the 64 squares from the chess-board, was launched on Wednesday, to set off a 64-day countdown.
The logo for GCL
Anand, a five-time world chess champion, said, “As we inch closer to the start of the tournament, we are seeing all our plans come to fruition. The GCL logo is a reflection of the vision that we have for the tournament. We hope the fans will like the concept and theme we created here. The primary objective of GCL is to promote the sport of chess globally and make it visually attractive for the masses.”
Each team will compete in 10 matches in the rapid format across all six boards in the tournament.
Sutovsky Emil, CEO, FIDE, said, “GCL aims to change how chess is played, viewed and visualised globally. We are only a few weeks away from the inaugural season, and we are happy to launch the official logo of the league. FIDE looks forward to an exciting debut of the GCL in June 2023.”
A scene from the Queen’s Gambit film to depict the mixing of gender in chess.
The top two teams after the round-robin format will progress to the final. The winning team will bag the World Champion Franchise Team crown.
Jagdish Mitra, GCL board chairman, said, “We believe, GCL represents a new beginning in chess, and the carefully designed brand identity, representing chess in its majestic glory, is the first step in that direction.”
The league will also set the standards for technological innovations in chess as FIDE and Tech Mahindra are exploring innovative ways to promote the game through interactive technology-enabled platforms by leveraging next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, among others.
Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
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