Global Chess League: Format, schedule, participants

A 6-team double round-robin

The second edition of the Global Chess League, a franchise team tournament organised by Tech Mahindra Global in collaboration with the International Chess Federation (FIDE), is set to take place on 3-12 October at Friends House in London. The event, which boasts a prize fund of US$ 1 million, will see six teams competing in a double round-robin format, followed by a final match between the top two teams to determine the champion.

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Each of the six teams features an impressive lineup of chess talent, comprising an Icon Player, four Superstars (two men and two women), and a Prodigy - a player born in 2003 or later. Some of the world's top chess players will be in action, including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Viswanathan Anand, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Anish Giri as Icon Players. Additionally, three key members of India's Olympiad-winning team - Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu - will take part. The tournament will also feature three former women's world champions: Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi and Alexandra Kosteniuk, further elevating the level of competition.

The matches will follow a set structure, with all players from one team playing with white pieces and all players from the opposing team playing with black pieces. As the tournament follows a double round-robin format, each team will face every other team twice, once with white and once with black. The board order will remain fixed throughout the event, ensuring consistency in the line-ups for each round.

A unique scoring system has been introduced for the innovative Global Chess League. Teams will earn 3 match points for a win, 1 match point for a draw, and 0 for a loss. However, the game points system within each match is even more distinctive. Players winning with black will earn 4 game points, while those winning with white will receive 3 game points. Draws are worth 1 game point each. This system not only rewards winning but also encourages players to take risks, particularly with the black pieces, making the matches more dynamic and unpredictable.

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The time control for each game is 20 minutes without increments, which is expected to lead to intense time-pressure situations. As players are pushed to make quick decisions in critical moments, the games will likely be decided in the final seconds, adding an extra layer of excitement. This relatively short time format also allows for a well-structured daily schedule.

Matches will be held one at a time, allowing commentators to focus on every match in detail. From 3 to 11 October, either three or four matches will be played daily, for a total of 30 matches. On 12 October, the top two teams from the round-robin phase will meet in a two-match final to decide the champion. If the final ends in a tie, blitz playoffs will follow. Last year's final was decided in such a manner, with Jonas Buhl Bjerre emerging as the hero for the Triveni Continental Kings, the defending champions.

The 2023 champions - Triveni Continental Kings | Photo: Maria Emelianova

Full schedule

Links

• Official website
• All ChessBase reports on the 2023 Global Chess League