Viswanathan Anand welcomes Ravichandran Ashwin to chess world with iconic 'Rajinikanth' flair

Renowned Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made an exciting foray into the world of chess by purchasing a team in the Global Chess League. Now a co-owner of the American Gambits, Ashwin has joined hands with well-known businessmen Venkat K Narayana and Prachura PP for the ownership of the team.

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American Gambits will replace Chingari Gulf Titans in the league's second edition when they make their debut. On Monday, the league¡ªa partnership between Tech Mahindra and the International Chess Federation¡ªannounced the six teams for the next season. The competition is set to be held in London from 3rd October to 12th October.

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Vishy Anand welcomes Ashwin with heartfelt message

Legendary chess grandmaster Vishy Anand welcomed Ashwin to the chess community with a heartfelt social media post. Anand shared his excitement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on your exciting new venture into the world of chess! As someone who has bowled out the best in cricket, I'm sure you'll bring the same competitive spirit to the Global Chess League with the American Gambits. May your rooks and bishops be as unstoppable as your off-spinners! Best of Luck in London! @GCLlive."

Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on your exciting new venture into the world of chess! As someone who has bowled out the best in cricket, I'm sure you'll bring the same competitive spirit to the Global Chess League with the American Gambits. May your rooks and bishops be as¡­

¡ª Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) July 8, 2024

Ashwin expressed his enthusiasm for this new venture in a media release: "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."

Format & franchises of the 2nd GCL

The defending champion Triveni Continental Kings, the Ganges Grandmasters, the PBG Alaskan Knights, the Alpine SG Pipers, and the Mumba Masters are the other five teams that will be back for the second season.

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Sameer Pathak, CEO of the Global Chess League, expressed his excitement: "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."

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With six players per side¡ªtwo of the best female chess players plus a prodigy¡ªthe league will have a novel joint team structure. Teams will play ten matches apiece in a double round-robin format of competition. Each team will play five matches with white pieces and five with black pieces against their opponents, with the matches being decided by a best-of-six board scoring system. The points accumulated from victories and draws during the course of the six games will determine which side wins each match. The top two groups will move on to the championship game.

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A spectacular season of chess is expected to be brought to fans worldwide by this unique format, which is scheduled to air on key OTT and broadcast platforms worldwide.

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