The highly popular Global Chess League is set to return to Europe this fall with its second installment taking place in the heart of London. Following a successful debut season held in Dubai last year, the world's best chess minds will once again unite under a unique team format in the English capital city of London from October 3rd through 12th.
Hosted at the historic Friends House venue, the tournament will see six-player squads representing various regions and sponsoring organizations. Each roster will feature a mix of elite Grandmasters, rising prodigies, and top-ranked women players. In classic double round-robin style, the teams will square off in ten total matches decided by a best-of-six board point system.
Last season saw legends like Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand and current women's world champion Hou Yifan lead their respective sides. Indian talents Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi greatly benefited from learning directly from the legends as their teammates. Praggnanandhaa went on to claim the individual player of the tournament honors.
Organizers are aiming to build upon the success of the debut campaign by further expanding the global chess community. Through live broadcasts, innovative fan activations and a traveling trophy tour, the goal is to bring more new and casual viewers into this intellectual sport. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expressed his excitement for the new London chapter and confident it will help propel chess to even greater heights.
