After a successful first season in Dubai, the Global Chess League will return for another edition, this time in London.
Last time, the league had seen many of the biggest names in the sport — Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Gukesh, Hou Yifan, Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, Tan Zhongyi and Ian Nepomniachtchi — play in a unique league system. One of the highlights of the first season was having players like Gukesh, Pragg and Arjun being part of the same team as Carlsen and getting to learn from him.
India’s Praggnanandhaa and China’s Tan were the players of the first season while Triveni Continental Kings had defeated the upGrad Mumba Masters to claim the first season.
This time, GCL will take place at Friends House, located in the heart of central London, from October 3rd to 12th.
In the tournament, the players will compete in a unique joint team format consisting of six players, including two top women chess players and a prodigy player per team. Each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
“After a fantastic response to the inaugural season, we are excited to continue our mission of expanding the reach of chess worldwide and drawing in new experiences for chess fans. Tech Mahindra’s commitment to usher in a new era in the modern chess ecosystem is commendable, and we are confident that the second edition of the league will provide the right platform and push needed to further elevate the sport,” Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President, was quoted as saying in a press release.
The organisers have said that this season they will look at building on the success of the first season, and that the league aims to further broaden the viewership base through live broadcasts, interactive fan experiences, and community engagement activities like the soon-to-be-launched Global Chess League Trophy Tour.
