India/London, 8th July 2024: The Global Chess League, a joint venture between Tech
Mahindra and FIDE, today unveiled the six franchises for the most-anticipated second season
to be held in London from 3
rd to 12
th October at the Friends House.
The six franchises competing in the second season includes Alpine SG Pipers owned by
APL Apollo-led SG Sports, Ganges Grandmasters owned by Insurekot Sports, Mumba
Masters owned by Ronnie Screwvala led Unilazer Ventures, PBG Alaskan Knights owned
by Punit Balan Group, and the inaugural season champions Triveni Continental Kings
owned by Triveni Engineering & Industries Limited.
The second season will also see the debut of a new team, American Gambits, owned by
prominent business leaders Prachura PP, Venkat K. Narayana, and Indian Cricket Icon and
Chess Enthusiast Ravichandran Ashwin.
Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We are thrilled to welcome the teams
for the second season of the Global Chess League. We have found the right partners to
strengthen the league’s global reach and look forward to bringing an exciting season of chess
to fans worldwide. The teams made season one a huge success and we believe that their
impact and popularity will continue to expand in the world of chess.”
The players will compete in a unique joint team format consisting of six players, including two
top women chess players and a prodigy player per team. Adding to the excitement and
anticipation among fans, this innovative format will be aired on major OTT and broadcast
platforms worldwide.
• American Gambits, owned by prominent business leaders Prachura PP, Venkat K.
Narayana, and Indian Cricket Icon and chess enthusiast Ravichandran Ashwin, will
set a new precedence in the sport by joining the first-of-its-kind innovative league.
Prachura PP, said, “The Global Chess League is the most exciting league to emerge
in the world of chess where topmost players worldwide battle for their teams. For a
sport played in over 190 countries, and one that has no age or gender bar, owning a
franchise is a wonderful opportunity.”
Co-owner and Indian Cricket Icon, R Ashwin, added, “We’re thrilled to introduce the
American Gambits to the chess world. With a blend of strategic brilliance and
unwavering determination, our team aims to redefine the game. As co-owner, I’m
excited to witness their journey and contribute to their success.”
• SG Sports, returns for the second season with a re-energized and rebranded team,
Alpine SG Pipers.
Rohan Gupta, Director, SG Sports & Entertainment, said, “The success of the first
season has brought a new level of excitement among chess lovers worldwide. We are
elated to be associated with the Global Chess League and eagerly await the players
draft that will further shape our ambition to do well in the second season.”
• The next in the illustrious list is Ganges Grandmasters team owned by the leading
sporting house, Insurekot Sports (ISPL), which also owns Puneri Pultan in Pro
Kabaddi League and Ultimate Table Tennis League.
Kailash Kandpal, CEO, Insurekot Sports Private Limited, said, “We witnessed the
potential that chess has globally through the success of the first season. As a
franchise, we are committed to popularizing the sport globally and look forward to a
brand new season in London.”
• The finalists of the first season, Mumba Masters, owned by Ronnie Screwvala led
Unilazer Ventures aims to continue their sporting successes in Chess, Kabaddi, Table
Tennis, and eSports in India.
Suhail Chandhok, CEO, U Mumba & Mumba Masters, said, “The first season of the
Global Chess League was an incredible experience for us as we dived into the world
of chess. We came agonisingly short of being crowned as the inaugural Champions,
but the journey with our wonderful group of players was memorable and we look
forward to more of the same this season. We anticipate an exciting player draft next
month, but hopefully we won’t have too much work to do at the draft given the setup
we’ve been fortunate to build on.”
• PBG Alaskan Knights, owned by sports entrepreneur and businessman Punit Balan,
will make its comeback in the second season with high expectations. Backed by Punit
Balan Group, the team intends to deploy experience of owning league winning teams
in other sports as well.
Punit Balan, Owner of PBG Alaskan Knights, said, “As a sporting brand, we
envision to champion the growth of chess ecosystem worldwide. We are very thrilled
with how the Global Chess League has shaped up since its first season. We are
confident that the league will only grow to get more exciting this season in London.”
• Triveni Continental Kings, owned by Triveni Sports Private Limited, emerged as
the champions of the inaugural season, and look forward to continuing their leadership
and retaining the title in the second season.
Dhruv Sawhney, Owner of the Triveni Continental Kings, said, “Chess is the
epitome of strategic thinking, which resonates perfectly with Triveni Group’s core
values. I have had a long association with chess in India and I am happy that our team
won the trophy in season 1 of the Global Chess League which was an incredible
experience. With season 2 in London, we look forward to defending our title. I hope
the league grows to its full potential and that chess fans hail this as the ultimate
tournament.”
In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format,
with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system. Each team
will play ten matches across black and white pieces. The teams will play five matches, with all
six players in each team initially playing with the white or black pieces against their opponents,
followed by a reverse round in which the entire team will play five matches with the reversed
colour pieces against the same opponent. The winning team for every match will be
determined by the points aggregated from wins and draws across all six games played in the
match. The top two teams will advance to the final round.
About Tech Mahindra Global Chess League
The Global Chess League is the world’s first and largest official franchise league of its kind,
with chess players from all over the world competing in a unique joint team format. It is a joint
venture between Tech Mahindra, a part of the Mahindra Group, and FIDE. The league will
feature male and female chess champions competing in the same team. Playing on the
popular rapid format, the league’s joint male-female teams will have the rare distinction of
being a unique multiplayer team in the world of professional sports. In addition, the league is
a one-of-its-kind live televised chess event offering fans a unique viewing experience. 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.
For more information on Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, please visit:https://globalchessleague.com/
Contact: Abhilasha Gupta, Head – Global Corporate Communications & Public Affairs,
Tech Mahindra
Email: Abhilasha.Gupta@TechMahindra.com; media.relations@techmahindra.com
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