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Former world champion Magnus Carlsen waits for matches to begin in the recent Global Chess League. (PHOTO: GCL)
After two seasons abroad, this edition of the Global Chess League (GCL) will be hosted by India this year, the league announced on Thursday along with dates for the league. The organisers said that the GCL will be held from 13th to 24th December this year. The dates mean that the league will end very close to the start of the traditional year-ending FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship, which is usually held over the Christmas and New Year window. FIDE has already revealed that the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship this year will be held in Qatar.
The first edition of the Global Chess League was hosted in Dubai while last year, the event was held in London. The Global Chess League frequently sees some of the top stars in the sport come out and represent the six franchises. Last season, the Global Chess League had seen stars like former world champions Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand and Hou Yifan headline teams along with players like Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Each of the six teams in the Global Chess League have six players each, both male and female. Each franchise plays a double round robin event.
The third edition of the Global Chess League being hosted in India means that after years of having just a handful of international tournaments in India, 2025 will see an explosion of chess events in India. This year, the country has already hosted events like the Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament, the Pune Women’s Grand Prix event, and the ongoing Chennai Grandmasters event. The FIDE World Cup will also be hosted by India, with the host city yet to be confirmed. The World Cup will be hosted between October 30 to November 27.
India was also meant to play host to an event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, but that was scrapped with organisers unable to raise enough funds from Indian corporates for having it.
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