The Global Chess League (GCL) a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, on Monday today unveiled the six participating franchises, all owned by the Indians, for its first edition, scheduled to take place from 21 June to 2 July in Dubai.
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 commence with 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 other renowned players,
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 emerging from these thrilling encounters will then proceed to the final, scheduled to take place on July 2, 2023, where the ultimate honour of being crowned the World Champion Franchise Team awaits.
“Tech Mahindra Global Chess League started as a dream, and as we are heading towards its actualisation, we have found the right partners who believe in the vision. We are excited that such reputed entrepreneurs have joined the ranks of GCL. We want to welcome all the owners and their teams to the GCL family and look forward to making the league a big success.” said FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, ,
Jagdish Mitra, Chairperson of the Global Chess League Board said, “GCL, the world’s first and largest official franchise league of its kind, blends traditional chess with the new era, aiming to enhance fan experience through digitization, innovation, and technology. The joint-team format, encompassing men, women, and U21 players, demonstrates our commitment to equal opportunities for all. 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, is led by Ronnie Screwvala, will make its international debut with the upGrad Mumba Masters team in the GCL.
The second franchise of the tournament will be Ganges Grandmasters, led by Insurekot Sports (ISPL), an entity owned by Suresh Kotak. ISPL also owns the Pro Kabaddi League team & Ultimate Table Tennis League team, Puneri Paltan.
The third in this list is the Punit Balan Group (PBG) which will own the team, Balan Alaskan Knights.
Triveni Engineering & Industries Limited, will make their sports debut with Triveni Continental Kings in the GCL.
Chingari App (Tech4Billion Group), the world’s fastest-growing Web3 Social Networking App, w, will also debut in the sports business with its team Chingari Gulf Titans in the GCL.
APL Apollo-led SG Sports, which will join the GCL bandwagon with its team SG Alpine Warriors.