For a sport that has been making fast strides for the reason that coronavirus pandemic, chess’ ‘IPL second’ arrives at this time: within the type of the World Chess League the place 36 Grandmasters — with a notable variety of world champions amongst them — will compete in a mixed-gender crew surroundings which they’re not accustomed to taking part in over the course of the common chess tour.
Six groups will function within the first season of the GCL, which might be a game-changer for a sport that traces its roots to India.
For the Indian market, the IPL-isation of the game comes at an opportune time. The nation is quick gaining heft on the planet of chess with as many as 9 gamers within the prime 100 in classical rankings and 82 GMs. India can also be experiencing a increase within the variety of informal gamers and chess followers.
“I believe India is doing lots of proper issues thus far, and it’s a matter of time earlier than it’s clearly the main chess nation on the planet,” former world champion Magnus Carlsen mentioned lately.
We requested #AI to reimagine our Grandmasters as actual Alpine Warriors🏔⚔
This is a 🧵 of 🤯 information about our chess stars@GCLlive @anandmahindra @C_P_Gurnani @jagdishmitra @SanjayGupta_APL @FIDE_chess#GCL #Midjourney #GlobalChessLeague #MadeOfSteel #ChessPunks #AIArt #MidjourneyAI pic.twitter.com/ZXl0GbkcRD— SG Alpine Warriors (@SGAlpineWarrior) June 19, 2023
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One other former world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, couldn’t disguise his envy lately as he spoke to a Russian web site a couple of younger era of “4 or 5 excellent Indian GMs rising on the identical time” which he identified was uncommon even within the Soviet period.
In a way, the GCL will showcase Indian would possibly within the sport. Whereas the league is international in outlook, all of the six franchise house owners are Indians. They embody three entrepreneurs with expertise of proudly owning sports activities franchises — U SPORTS, Insurekot Sports activities and Punit Balan Group — whereas Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd, Chingari App, and APL Apollo-led SG Sports activities are investing in sports activities leagues for the primary time.
The league will see 9 Indian GMs in motion for the six groups, with younger prodigies like D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa getting the chance to crew up with Carlsen.
As I’m not the present world champ we’re getting on to new lables. Attempting «Icon» on for measurement now.
Let’s see🤣 https://t.co/70k9PMiwpZ
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) June 12, 2023
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“I’m hoping to be taught as a lot as attainable from Carlsen. Perhaps, we will talk about video games afterwards and as a crew, we will perhaps even work collectively a bit (on technique and chess techniques). I’ve not obtained a lot expertise of doing that with him,” 17-year-old Gukesh, touted as one in all India’s strongest bets to be a world champion sooner or later, advised The Indian Specific.
The Indian connection doesn’t finish with the house owners and gamers. GCL may also see Indian Grandmasters and Worldwide Masters forming the brains belief for groups — GM Pravin Thipsay (Ganges Grandmasters), GM Swapnil Dhopade (Chingari Gulf Titans), IM Vishal Sareen (SG Alpine Warriors) and GM Abhijit Kunte (Balan Alaskan) can be concerned as chess strategists or crew principals.
Whereas organisers and crew house owners are tight-lipped about working prices and the way a lot cash they’re spending within the first season, Jagdish Mitra, chairperson of GCL, mentioned it was a “fraction” of what house owners could be spending to run a crew in a soccer or cricket league, regardless of the primary season of GCL happening at Dubai’s Chess & Tradition Membership, because of an affiliation with the Dubai Sports activities Council.
Sport on @GangesGMs @GCLlive We’re prepared … Wanting ahead to taking part in chess ! pic.twitter.com/BM7rJUVdsk
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) June 20, 2023
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A three way partnership between the worldwide governing physique of chess, FIDE, and India’s Tech Mahindra, the league has been within the making for a couple of years.
“India is essential for FIDE. It’s a strategic accomplice. Which is why it is vital for us to have FIDE-approved occasions occurring in India. That’s the place the World Chess League got here into the image,” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky advised The Indian Specific.
Getting world-class gamers
Attracting top-quality names like Carlsen, present world champions Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Yifan Hou, amongst others has been a coup of kinds.
Mitra mentioned that the organisers made separate displays for every participant, pitching them the league and why they wanted to be part of it. He added that Carlsen had essentially the most variety of inputs and questions, however was very supportive of your complete idea.
“This can be one thing new. One thing that has not been carried out this manner in over-the-board chess. I’m wanting ahead to exploring this format sooner or later… Personally, I very a lot take pleasure in crew occasions and the crew spirit throughout the group. I’m wanting ahead to assembly the opposite gamers within the crew, and I look ahead to competing with and towards the thrilling younger era of Indian gamers,” the Norwegian World No. 1 mentioned in a press release.
Lengthy-term sustainability
Sports activities leagues in India have been aplenty for the reason that Indian Premier League emerged onto the scene. And whereas the cricket league has grown right into a behemoth, many others have struggled to remain afloat.
“In cricket, we now have the IPL and after it was launched in 2008, we noticed so many younger gamers choosing up the sport. The face of the game modified as effectively. I believe extra younger gamers will get within the sport after following GCL. I hope in the identical means, extra younger gamers decide up chess after GCL,” mentioned Raunak Sadhwani, who’s the tenth youngest participant in historical past and the fourth youngest Indian to turn into a GM.
GCL already has plans in place for the primary 5 seasons, with the six franchise house owners already committing to staying on for that interval. The league additionally plans to increase: with two extra groups being added within the third season and the league increasing to 10 groups in Season 5.
Whereas Jio Cinema can be streaming the league in India, Mitra mentioned that NBC (USA), Fox Sports activities (Australia), Eurosport (Europe) and Dazn would additionally broadcast the league to 150-odd territories on the planet.
The largest innovation, although, is how the league will make the game thrilling. Whereas different sports activities have adrenaline-pumping motion on the screens, chess will stay a sport the place gamers sit throughout a desk and in addition to uncommon moments of seen emotion, there may be not an excessive amount of that they offer away.
The league is making an attempt to counter that with commentary and fan-engagement measures. The commentary crew for the league contains chess gamers like Russia’s Peter Svidler, Tania Sachdev, Keti Tsatsalashvili, slapstick comedian Samay Raina, amongst others. The league has additionally made forays into Metaverse, the place followers will have the ability to concurrently play video games with digital avatars of gamers like Viswanathan Anand and Carlsen. There are additionally plans to herald the factor of fantasy gaming that may permit followers to foretell the following transfer by gamers.
“We’ll make it glitzy, attention-grabbing and but easy. It’s the identical factor that T20 leagues did to cricket. T20 leagues don’t cease you from having fun with the legacy variations of the game. But it surely expands the bottom continually, by disrupting the best way the game is performed. The league is our probability to experiment and be disruptors,” added Mitra.
MEET THE SIX TEAMS
Ganges Grandmasters: Led by Insurekot Sports activities (ISPL), an entity owned by Suresh Kotak. ISPL additionally owns groups in Professional Kabaddi League and Final Desk Tennis League.
Ganges Grandmasters can have the next gamers: GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Richard Rapport, GM Leinier Dominguez Perez, GM Yifan Hou, GM Bella Khotenashvili and GM Andrey Esipenko.
SG Alpine Warriors: Owned by SG Sports activities Pvt Ltd, which is led by APL Apollo, a constructing materials firm.
SG Alpine Warriors can have the next gamers: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM D Gukesh, GM Arjun Erigaisi, GM Elisabeth Paehtz, GM Irina Krush and GM R Praggnanandhaa.
Balan Alaskan Knights: Owned by the Punit Balan Group, which is led by entrepreneur Punit Balan. PBG has invested in varied sports activities leagues in India during the last two years together with tennis, handball and kho-kho.
Balan Alaskan Knights can have the next gamers: GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, GM Teimour Radjabov, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, GM Tan Zhongyi, GM Nino Batsiashvili and GM Raunak Sadhwani.
Chingari Gulf Titans: The crew is owned by Tech4Billion Group, which additionally owns the Chingari App, which is a Web3 Social Networking App that centres spherical movies.
Chingari Gulf Titans can have the next gamers: GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, GM Daniil Dubov, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, IM Polina Shuvalova and GM Nihal Sarin.
upGrad Mumba Masters: The crew is owned by U SPORTS, led by Ronnie Screwvala, who’ve sports activities groups in kabaddi and desk tennis leagues. Additionally they personal an esports crew.
upGrad Mumba Masters can have the next gamers: GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, GM Vidit Gujrathi, GM Alexander Grischuk, GM Koneru Humpy, GM Harika Dronavalli and GM Javokhir Sindarov.
Triveni Continental Kings: The crew is owned by Triveni Engineering & Industries Restricted, an built-in sugar producer from India and a participant in engineering companies comprising energy transmission and water, and wastewater remedy options.
Triveni Continental Kings can have the next gamers: GM Ding Liren, GM Wei Yi, GM Yangyi Yu, GM Kateryna Lagno, GM Nana Dzagnidze and GM Jonas Buhl Bjerre.
OWNER SPEAK
“The primary season of the league is going on in Dubai. A few of the largest gamers from the world are competing. It is a international league from India. When the league was pitched to us, we noticed that there are senior gamers and junior gamers. So via this league and our crew, there’s a nice alternative for junior gamers to be groomed by veterans.” — Deepak Salvi, co-founder and COO at Chingari, which owns the Chingari Gulf Titans
“Chess is a sport that resonates with all of us, and being part of one thing as revolutionary because the World Chess League actually does excite us at U Mumba. The collaboration between Tech Mahindra and FIDE has carried out an distinctive job of increasing the attain of chess to a wider viewers.” — Suhail Chandhok, CEO, U Mumba & upGrad Mumba Masters
“Whereas chess has a wealthy historical past, it has but to determine itself as a mainstream spectator sport. GCL has the ability to alter that, and we eagerly anticipate the league to start out.” — Kailash Kandpal, CEO, Insurekot Sports activities Non-public Restricted
“PBG helps a number of sports activities and chess is a sport which has its inception in India, it’s one thing we all the time needed to be a part of and encourage extra sporting fans to take up the sport of chequered squares.” — Punit Balan, Proprietor, Punit Balan Group
“We’re identified for our wealthy legacy and nation-building initiatives via years of innovation and this enterprise marks one other important step in establishing international recognition for India.” — Dhruv M Sawhney, Chairman, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd
“GCL, as an idea, will deliver a brand new stage of pleasure to chess. SG Sports activities is honoured to be part of the league’s inaugural season, and our partnership with the league will assist strengthen our place as India’s main sports activities model.” — Sanjay Gupta, Group Chairman of SG Sports activities