As many as 13 World Chess champions, including the reigning champion Ding Liren, five-time winners Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand, and four-time Women’s World champion Hou Yifan, will be seen in action when Dubai hosts the inaugural edition of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL).
Leading players from 14 different countries will take part in the competition, which will be held at the Dubai Chess & Culture Club from 21 June to 2 July. The tournament, offering a prize purse of $1 million, is in association with the Dubai Sports Council.
All teams will compete in a one-of-a-kind joint team format at the Global Chess League. Each team consists of six players, including at least two women players. A total of six teams will compete in double round robin, played in rapid format of maximum two-and-a-half hour duration. All matches will also be telecast live.
Global Chess League: A spectacular gathering of world champions
Six more world champions, including 2021 World Rapid Chess champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 2021 World Blitz Chess champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, 2013 World Rapid Chess champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, 2008 Blitz Chess World champion Leinier Domínguez, three-time Blitz Chess World champion Alexander Grischuk, and 2018 World Rapid Chess champion Daniil Dubov, are part of the competition.
Apart from Grandmaster (GM) Yifan, the second highest-rated female player of all time, some of the leading women’s players include GM Koneru Humpy, GM Harika Dronavalli, GM Kateryna Lagno, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM Tan Zhongyi, GM Nana Dzagnidze, GM Bella Khotenashvili, GM Nino Batsiashvili, GM Irina Krush and Elisabeth Paehtz, the 2018 European Women’s champion in rapid chess.
The world’s top-ranked chess player Carlsen will be the star attraction. Apart from winning the World Chess title five times, the enigmatic 32-year-old Norwegian is also the reigning four-time World Rapid Chess champion and his peak FIDE rating has been the highest in chess history.
Speaking about his association with the league, Carlsen said: “The Global Chess League will be a great new event in over-the-board chess that has never been done before. I am excited to be a part of this unique mixed-team format.
“Chess is played by many people worldwide, but it needs to catch up to other major sports as a spectator sport, and I am optimistic that Global Chess League will contribute significantly to this. I look forward to meeting the team, competing against the exciting new generation of players, and enjoying the league’s team spirit.”
China’s Liren, who became the new World Chess champion following his enthralling win over Ian Nepomniachtchi in a tie-break recently, said: “Global Chess League appeared to be a fantastic opportunity from the moment I heard about it, and I was eager to participate. Not only is it an interesting format, but also, as an Icon player, I get to contribute to an exciting concept that will change the face of the chess world for years to come.”
Yifan, a chess prodigy who was the youngest female player ever to qualify for the title of Grandmaster at the age of 14, added: “Global Chess League has already sparked widespread interest, and it is amazing to witness such fervour for the game of chess. With its unique joint format of men and women players on the same team, it is certain to take the game in new directions and open doors that have never been explored before.”
In addition to the renowned champions, the league will provide a stage for emerging talent from various nations, offering them an opportunity to compete against the very best in the world. Six U21 players will also compete in the Global Chess League, with the trio of Grandmasters, R Praggnanandhaa, Raunak Sadhwani, and Nihal Sarin, leading the pack of prodigies.
The league will also set the standards for technological innovations in the sport of chess as Tech Mahindra and FIDE will explore new ways to promote the game through interactive technology-enabled platforms by leveraging 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality.
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