The Global Chess League (GCL), a joint venture between the world chess body Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) and Tech Mahindra has unveiled its official logo on Wednesday. The logo features a chess board with 64 squares, representing the well-known importance of the number 64 in chess. The inaugural edition of the GCL is set to kick-off from June 21st and run until July 2nd this year.
Tech Mahindra is a leading provider for the digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services in India. The company employs over 125,000 people in over 90 countries across the world and focuses on areas like data analytics and emerging technologies including blockchain and the Internet of Things.
Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, also the mentor of GCL, spoke to the press saying “As we inch closer to the start of the tournament, we are seeing all our plans come to fruition. The GCL logo is a reflection of the vision that we have for the tournament.” Each team in the first edition of GCL has six players such as a minimum of two female players and an icon player. The teams will compete across 10 matches in the rapid format, and the top two teams after the round-robin format will proceed to the finals.
FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky further added, “GCL aims to change how chess is played, viewed, and visualised globally. We are only a few weeks away from the inaugural season, and we are happy to launch the official logo of the league. FIDE looks forward to a successful start of the GCL in June 2023.” The GCL has also announced plans to use revolutionary technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality to bring more life to the world of chess.
