Global Chess League is a very good opportunity to draw in many new fans,” says legendary Viswanathan Anand ahead of Global Chess League Season 2 in London

With less than a month left before the second season of the Global Chess League, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, legendary Indian Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand expressed his excitement for the upcoming tournament. The competition will take place between October 3rd and October 12th in London, and the five-time World Champion opened up on his reasons for returning to the tournament this year.

Hikaru Nakamura,” Anand said-“I remember clearly how much fun the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League was last year in Dubai, and I am very excited about the second season. Most of the world’s best players took part in the initial edition. Notably, one player whose presence everyone is looking forward to has also joined this year. Anand will continue in his role as the Icon Player for the Ganges Grandmasters this season. He will compete against Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits), Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (upGrad Mumba Masters), and Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings).

“The teams have had a chance to rejig their compositions. They have learned from the past season and have strengthened themselves. In its first season, the Global Chess League revolutionized the sport with its unique team format. The first-of-its-kind franchise-based league features a total of six teams consisting of six players in each team – one Icon player, two superstar male players, two superstar female players, and one prodigy in each team. Anand explained how the format helps the players perform better.

“Chess is an individual game. However, when you play for a team, you have an added responsibility, as your performance can directly or indirectly impact your team members’ results. So, everyone is motivated to do well. The two-time Chess World Cup winner further elaborated on why the first season captured the imaginations of the global chess community. He further said that the Global Chess League is helping to increase the sports’ fan base. “The inaugural season received a remarkable response from fans because it was a fan-centric and spectator experience-centric event. Addressing his targets for the season, Anand said that he wishes to help Ganges Grandmasters win the title. Apart from him, the franchise has changed their squad, roping in Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo as Superstar men players and Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova as Superstar women players for the season. Volodar Murzin has been brought in as the Prodigy player.

“As a team, the Ganges Grandmasters did well in the last edition, but we could not qualify. It shows the unpredictable nature of the league’s scoring system and format. We will try to do much better this time. As a player, my goals align with the same, and I want to help our team reach the final and win the trophy.”