Ravichandran Ashwin becomes co-owner of Team American Gambits in Global Chess League

Legendary Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin became the co-owner of the new team American Gambits, which will be a part of the second edition of the Global Chess League. The competition is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Global Chess League unveiled the six franchises for the second edition, which is scheduled to be played from October 3 and conclude on October 12 in London.

American Gambits, co-owned by Prachura PRR, Venkat K Narayana, and Ravi Ashwin, will replace another franchise named Chingari Gulf Titans in the second edition.

“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,” Ashwin was quoted as saying in a media release (via The Hindu).

The other five franchise names are Alpine SG Pipers, PBG Alaskan Knights, Ganges Grandmasters, Reigning champions Triveni Continental Kings and Mumba Masters set to return for the second edition of the competition.

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."

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Global Chess League: A look at the format

The tournament will follow the double round-robin format with each team set to play a total of 10 matches and the winner of each match will be decided in a best-of-six-players board scoring system.

Each side will play five matches with all six players initially playing with the white or black pieces against their opponents. Later, in the reverse round, the entire team will play five matches with the reverse-colored pieces against the same opponent.

The top two sides at the end of the round-robin phase will move to the grand finale.

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