The Global Chess League (GCL), the world’s biggest chess competition, is set to start tonight i.e. June 21 and will conclude on July 2, 2023.
The GCL is a collaboration between Tech Mahindra, an Indian IT services juggernaut, and FIDE, the game’s worldwide governing body. Ganges Grandmasters, SG Alpine Warriors, Balan Alaskan Knights, Chingari Gulf Titans, upGrad Mumba Masters and Triveni Continental Kings will compete in the tournament.
Hello Dubai. We’re ready to make our moves…This sequence of pics mirrors what we’re trying to do….take Chess from being an individual sport to a team sport through the TechMahindra Global Chess League…@GCLlive pic.twitter.com/4HCJib8C84
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) June 21, 2023
The league is going to feature a mixed team arrangement with six players on each side, with a minimum of two women players. The annual tournament will also consist of six teams that will compete in a total of 10 double round-robin matches, with the winner determined by a concurrent best-of-six board scoring system.
FIDE has lobbied for the GCL to be the world’s first and largest official franchise chess league. The organisers want to make the competition an exclusive experience for the viewers. Therefore, for the contest, the organisers have also managed to secure numerous sponsorship deals for the inaugural season. Let’s look at the sponsors of Global Chess League 2023.
Associate Sponsor: ChessBase
ChessBase is a German firm that produces and markets chess software, runs a chess news website, and runs an internet chess server for online chess. It was established in 1986 and preserves and distributes large-scale databases of recorded chess moves.
Mall Partner: Phoenix Mills Limited
Phoenix Mills Limited is the nation’s top retail mall developer and operator, with over six million square feet of retail space spread throughout eight malls in six Indian gateway towns.
Audio Streaming Partner: Amazon Music
Amazon Music is a music streaming service and online music platform owned and operated by Amazon. As of January 2020, the service attracted 55 million consumers.
Radio Partner (India): Red FM 93.5
Red FM 93.5 is a Sun Group-owned Indian FM radio network situated in Chennai. Among other Indian languages, the network broadcasts content in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
Hydration Partner: SVVA Water
SVVA’s subterranean water is made from surface water that progressively seeps down to generate the purest water on the entire globe for the people.
Outdoor Partner: Mera Hoardings
Mera Hoardings is the globe’s first out-of-home advertising technology startup, as recognised by the Government of India’s Startup India Initiative (DPIIT). The brand has the largest selection of 90,000+ billboards or hoardings throughout 25000+ diverse outdoor media owners from a variety of locations, towns, states, and hoarding advertising companies.
Multiplex Partner: PVR Cinemas
PVR Cinemas is a Gurgaon-based Indian multiplex network. PVR started the multiplex revolution in India by opening the first multiplex theatre in Saket, New Delhi, in 1997.
Wearables Partner: boAt
Aman Gupta and Sameer Ashok Mehta founded boAt, India’s fastest-growing consumer electronics firm, in 2015. It manufactures headphones, stereo systems, portable chargers, premium strong cables, Bluetooth earbuds and speakers, earphones, and other accessories.