For a recreation that has been making speedy strides for the reason that coronavirus pandemic, chess’ ‘IPL second’ arrives lately: within the type of the World Chess League the place 36 Grandmasters — with a notable selection of international champions amongst them — will compete in a mixed-gender workforce surroundings which they’re now not familiar with enjoying over the process the common chess excursion.
Six groups will characteristic within the first season of the GCL, which generally is a game-changer for a recreation that strains its roots to India.
For the Indian marketplace, the IPL-isation of the game comes at an opportune time. The rustic is speedy gaining heft on the planet of chess with as many as 9 avid gamers within the height 100 in classical ratings and 82 GMs. India may be experiencing a increase within the selection of informal avid gamers and chess lovers.
“I believe India is doing a large number of proper issues to this point, and this can be a topic of time sooner than it’s obviously the main chess country on the planet,” former international champion Magnus Carlsen stated lately.
We requested #AI to reimagine our Grandmasters as actual Alpine Warriors?⚔
Here 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 percent.twitter.com/ZXl0GbkcRD
— SG Alpine Warriors (@SGAlpineWarrior) June 19, 2023
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Any other former international champion, Vladimir Kramnik, may now not conceal his envy lately as he spoke to a Russian website online a few younger technology of “4 or 5 remarkable Indian GMs rising on the identical time” which he identified used to be uncommon even within the Soviet generation.
In a way, the GCL will blow their own horns Indian may within the recreation. Whilst the league is world in outlook, the entire six franchise homeowners are Indians. They come with 3 marketers with revel in of proudly owning sports activities franchises — U SPORTS, Insurekot Sports activities and Punit Balan Staff — whilst Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd, Chingari App, and APL Apollo-led SG Sports activities are making an investment 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 workforce up with Carlsen.
As I’m now not the present international champ we’re getting directly to new lables. Attempting «Icon» on for dimension now.
Let’s see? https://t.co/70k9PMiwpZ
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) June 12, 2023
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“I’m hoping to be informed up to imaginable from Carlsen. Possibly, we will be able to talk about video games afterwards and as a workforce, we will be able to perhaps even paintings in combination a bit of (on technique and chess techniques). I’ve now not were given a lot revel in of doing that with him,” 17-year-old Gukesh, touted as one among India’s most powerful bets to be an international champion one day, instructed The Indian Specific.
The Indian connection doesn’t finish with the homeowners and avid gamers. GCL will even see Indian Grandmasters and Global Masters forming the brains accept as true with 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 workforce principals.
Whilst organisers and workforce homeowners are tight-lipped about running prices and what quantity of money they’re spending within the first season, Jagdish Mitra, chairperson of GCL, stated it used to be a “fraction” of what homeowners can be spending to run a workforce in a soccer or cricket league, in spite 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 able … Taking a look ahead to enjoying chess ! percent.twitter.com/BM7rJUVdsk
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) June 20, 2023
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A three way partnership between the worldwide governing frame 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 spouse. Which is why it will be significant for us to have FIDE-approved occasions going down in India. That’s the place the World Chess League got here into the image,” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky instructed The Indian Specific.
Getting world-class avid gamers
Attracting top-quality names like Carlsen, present international champions Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Yifan Hou, amongst others has been a coup of types.
Mitra stated that the organisers made separate displays for every participant, pitching them the league and why they had to be part of it. He added that Carlsen had essentially the most selection of inputs and questions, however used to be very supportive of all the thought.
“This can be one thing new. One thing that has now not been completed this manner in over-the-board chess. I’m having a look ahead to exploring this structure one day… Individually, I very a lot revel in workforce occasions and the workforce spirit inside the crew. I’m having a look ahead to assembly the opposite avid gamers within the workforce, and I sit up for competing with and towards the thrilling younger technology of Indian avid gamers,” the Norwegian Global No. 1 stated in a commentary.
Lengthy-term sustainability
Sports activities leagues in India had been aplenty for the reason that Indian Premier League emerged onto the scene. And whilst the cricket league has grown right into a behemoth, many others have struggled to stick afloat.
“In cricket, now we have the IPL and after it used to be offered in 2008, we noticed such a lot of younger avid gamers selecting up the sport. The face of the game modified as neatly. I believe extra younger avid gamers gets within the recreation after following GCL. I’m hoping in the similar approach, extra younger avid gamers select up chess after GCL,” stated Raunak Sadhwani, who’s the tenth youngest participant in historical past and the fourth youngest Indian to develop into a GM.
GCL already has plans in position for the primary 5 seasons, with the six franchise homeowners already committing to staying on for that length. The league additionally plans to make bigger: with two extra groups being added within the 3rd season and the league increasing to ten groups in Season 5.
Whilst Jio Cinema can be streaming the league in India, Mitra stated 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, despite the fact that, is how the league will make the game thrilling. Whilst different sports activities have adrenaline-pumping motion at the displays, chess will stay a recreation the place avid gamers take a seat throughout a desk and but even so uncommon moments of visual emotion, there isn’t an excessive amount of that they provide away.
The league is attempting to counter that with observation and fan-engagement measures. The observation workforce for the league comprises chess avid 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 lovers will be capable to concurrently play video games with digital avatars of avid gamers like Viswanathan Anand and Carlsen. There also are plans to herald the part of myth gaming that may permit lovers to expect the next step by way of avid gamers.
“We’ll make it glitzy, attention-grabbing and but easy. It’s the similar factor that T20 leagues did to cricket. T20 leagues don’t forestall you from playing the legacy variations of the game. However it expands the bottom continuously, by way of disrupting the best way the game is performed. The league is our likelihood to experiment and be disruptors,” added Mitra.
MEET THE SIX TEAMS
Ganges Grandmasters: Led by way of Insurekot Sports activities (ISPL), an entity owned by way of Suresh Kotak. ISPL additionally owns groups in Professional Kabaddi League and Final Desk Tennis League.
Ganges Grandmasters may have the next avid 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 way of SG Sports activities Pvt Ltd, which is led by way of APL Apollo, a constructing subject matter corporate.
SG Alpine Warriors may have the next avid 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 way of the Punit Balan Staff, which is led by way of entrepreneur Punit Balan. PBG has invested in quite a lot of sports activities leagues in India during the last two years together with tennis, handball and kho-kho.
Balan Alaskan Knights may have the next avid gamers: GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, GM Teimour Radjabov, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, GM Tan Zhongyi, GM Nino Batsiashvili and GM Raunak Sadhwani.
Chingari Gulf Titans: The workforce is owned by way of Tech4Billion Staff, which additionally owns the Chingari App, which is a Web3 Social Networking App that centres spherical movies.
Chingari Gulf Titans may have the next avid 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 workforce is owned by way of U SPORTS, led by way of Ronnie Screwvala, who’ve sports activities groups in kabaddi and desk tennis leagues. In addition they personal an esports workforce.
upGrad Mumba Masters may have the next avid 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 workforce is owned by way of 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 answers.
Triveni Continental Kings may have the next avid 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. One of the most greatest avid gamers from the sector are competing. It is a world league from India. When the league used to be pitched to us, we noticed that there are senior avid gamers and junior avid gamers. So thru this league and our workforce, there’s a nice alternative for junior avid gamers to be groomed by way of veterans.” — Deepak Salvi, co-founder and COO at Chingari, which owns the Chingari Gulf Titans
“Chess is a recreation that resonates with all people, and being part of one thing as innovative because the World Chess League in point of fact does excite us at U Mumba. The collaboration between Tech Mahindra and FIDE has completed a phenomenal process of increasing the achieve of chess to a much wider target market.” — Suhail Chandhok, CEO, U Mumba & upGrad Mumba Masters
“Whilst chess has a wealthy historical past, it has but to ascertain itself as a mainstream spectator recreation. GCL has the ability to modify that, and we eagerly look forward to the league to start out.” — Kailash Kandpal, CEO, Insurekot Sports activities Personal Restricted
“PBG helps a couple of sports activities and chess is a recreation which has its inception in India, it’s one thing we all the time sought after to be a part of and encourage extra carrying fans to take in the sport of chequered squares.” — Punit Balan, Proprietor, Punit Balan Staff
“We’re recognized for our wealthy legacy and nation-building tasks thru years of innovation and this mission marks some other vital step in organising world reputation for India.” — Dhruv M Sawhney, Chairman, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd
“GCL, as an idea, will carry a brand new degree 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 improve our place as India’s main sports activities logo.” — Sanjay Gupta, Staff Chairman of SG Sports activities