DUBAI: Global Chess League Unveils Six Franchises for Inaugural Edition Set to Reach 600 Million Viewers in 160 Countries.
The Global Chess League (GCL) unveiled the six participating franchises for its highly anticipated first edition. The league, set to revolutionize the chess ecosystem, will commence with a players’ draft where franchise owners will select players for their respective teams.
- U SPORTS, led by Ronnie Screwvala, renowned for its sporting successes in sports like Kabaddi, Table Tennis, and eSports in India, will make its international debut with the upGrad Mumba Masters team in the GCL.
- The second franchise of the tournament will be Ganges Grandmasters, led by Insurekot Sports (ISPL), an entity owned by Suresh Kotak. ISPL also owns the Pro Kabaddi League team & Ultimate Table Tennis League team, Puneri Paltan.
- The third in this list of illustrious owners is the Punit Balan Group (PBG) which will own the team, Balan Alaskan Knights. Led by entrepreneur, businessman and sportspreneur, Mr Punit Balan, the Punit Balan Group has invested heavily across various sports leagues in India over the last two years and aims to contribute to India’s journey of becoming the sporting powerhouse globally.
- Triveni Turbine Limited (TTL), a focused, growing and market-leading corporation with core competency in industrial heat & power solutions and decentralized steam-based renewable turbines up to 100 MW size, make their sports debut with Triveni Continental Kings in the GCL.
- Chingari App (Tech4Billion Group), the world’s fastest-growing Web3 Social Networking App, whose popularity has skyrocketed since the pandemic, will also debut in the sports business with its team Chingari Gulf Titans in the GCL.
- The sixth in this list of illustrious owners is APL Apollo-led SG Sports, one of India’s largest and most trusted building material company, which will join the GCL bandwagon with its team SG Alpine Warriors.
With a strong vision and long-term commitment to establishing a solid foundation, the Global Chess League (GCL) has unveiled plans to kick off its first two seasons with the participation of six dedicated franchises.
The annual GCL tournament will introduce a unique mixed-team format, wherein each of the six franchises will engage in a total of 10 matches played in a double round-robin style. In this exciting setup, the winner of each match will be determined through a best-of-six board scoring system, played simultaneously.
The top two teams emerging from these thrilling encounters will then proceed to the final, scheduled to take place on July 2, 2023, where the ultimate honour of being crowned the World Champion Franchise Team awaits.
