It will feature reigning World Chess Champion Ding Liren, the world’s top-ranked chess player and five-time World ChampionMagnus Carlsen, five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and four-time Women’s World champion Hou Yifan, among others.
India: A joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, today announced the complete list of players for the upcoming inaugural edition. The first season of the Global Chess League will be held at the Dubai Chess & Culture Club from June 21st – July 2nd, 2023, in association with the Dubai Sports Council. It will feature reigning World Chess Champion Ding Liren, the world’s top-ranked chess player and five-time World ChampionMagnus Carlsen, five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and four-time Women’s World champion Hou Yifan, among others.
Grandmaster Liren, 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. Further, knowing that GCL will see participation from players worldwide, it will be a strong field, and I look forward to meeting all the players.”
Carlsen is the world’s top-ranked chess player. A five-time World Chess Champion, and the reigning four-time World Rapid Chess Champion, Carlsen’s peak FIDE rating has been the highest in chess history. Speaking about his association with the league, the world’s top-ranked chess player Grandmaster Magnus 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 GCL will contribute significantly to this. I look forward to meeting the team, competing against India’s exciting new generation of players, and enjoying the league’s team spirit.”
Chess Grandmaster Hou Yifan, four-time women’s world chess champion, said, “Global Chess League has already sparked widespread interest, and it is amazing to witness such fervour for the game of chess. I am grateful to Tech Mahindra and FIDE for inviting me to participate in the league’s inaugural season, and I cannot wait for the season to begin. GCL, with its unique joint format of men and women players on the same team, is certain to take the game in new directions and open doors that have never been explored before. Chess fans all over the world are in for a treat.”
The FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, said, “The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League will feature chess icons, legends, and world champions from around the world, and we are excited to see the biggest names in chess compete for the top prize. This league promises a never-before-seen level of thrilling chess action, and the anticipation is palpable. We are confident the league will usher in a new era in the modern chess ecosystem.”
The league will also set the standards for technological innovations in the sport of chess as Tech Mahindra and FIDE will explore innovative ways to promote the game through interactive technology-enabled platforms by leveraging next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, among others.
About FIDE
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. Constituted as a non-governmental institution, it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999. FIDE currently has its headquarters in Lausanne, but it was initially founded in 1924 in Paris under the motto “Gens una Sumus” (Latin for “We are one Family”). It was one of the very first International Sports Federations, alongside the governing bodies of the sports of Football, Cricket, Swimming, and Auto Racing. It is now one of the largest, encompassing 199 countries as affiliate members, in the form of National Chess Federations. Chess is nowadays a truly global sport, with dozens of millions of players in all the continents, and more than 60 million games on average played every day.
