Viswanathan Anand, Hou Yifan, Levon Aronian, Konery Humpy, R Praggnanandhaa, and D Gukesh are among the participants are to set to be part of an IPL-style Chess tournament called the Global Chess League. This new franchise-based, mixed-team event will be held in Dubai from June 21 to July 2, 2023, and will feature some of the biggest stars in the chess world.
The Global Chess League is a partnership between the sport's governing organisation, FIDE, and the multinational Indian company Tech Mahindra. The goal of GCL is to promote the top chess players while simultaneously making the game more accessible to spectators. It is comparable to the now well-known Indian Premier League. There will be a mix of male, female, and Under 21 players on the teams, which are owned by franchises.
Six teams will be featured in the first-ever edition of the GCL and they are as follows:
Balan Alaskan Knights
Chingari Gulf Titans
Ganges Grandmasters
SG Alpine Warriors
Triveni Continental Kings
Upgrad Mumba Masters
Each team selected six players and the players were broken down into prodigies, superstars, and icons. Six icons, six prodigies, and 26 superstars are distributed among the six teams in total. The format sees each of the six franchises will compete in a total of 10 games in a double round-robin style in this unusual mixed-team event. From move one, the rapid time control will be 15 minutes plus 10 seconds.
The Global Chess League will officially begin on June 21 at 7:00 PM local time at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC in Dubai. The awarding of the winning trophy and the playing of the Global Chess League anthem will also be included in the ceremony. The tournament's opening match will be played on June 22 between Triveni Continental Kings and upGrad Mumba Masters at 5:30 PM GST (7:00 PM IST) at the Le Méridien Hotel.
