NEW DELHI: The first edition of Global Chess League is on the horizon with the first-ever league-styled chess tournament set to take place between June 21 to July 2, 2023.
Among the chess stars who will be competing in the tournament is Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, who is the youngest female chess player to become a Grandmaster.
A 2003 Arjuna Awardee, winner of the Padma Shri, and the 2021 BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year, Humpy is best known for her win at the 2019 FIDE Rapid Chess Championship and will be looking to make a mark once again by playing in the GCL.
“It’s quite an interesting one to have a league with mixed teams of men, women and junior players. Apart from that, having a corporate like Tech Mahindra will definitely have a bigger impact in the chess world. This is one of the bigger reasons for us to take part in this event. This league will be inspiration for organisers all over the world,” Humpy said.
A joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, the GCL will witness six teams competing in a minimum of 10 matches each in a double round-robin format competing in the rapid chess format.
Humpy, who won the World Rapid Chess Championship in 2020 started her career when she was just six years old after being introduced to the sport by her father.
The 36-year-old won her first medal, becoming the national chess champion in the Under-10 category in 1997. The two time Asian Games Gold-medallist stunned the world when she earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 15 years in 2002, becoming the then youngest player to achieve the title.
With a current world ranking of 204 and Classical Elo rating of 2586, the Andhra Pradesh star is regarded as one of the top players from India.
“I started when I was six years old. As a player, I can testify that Chess is constantly being evolved in India. We have plenty of Grandmasters now from the country and we are the fastest growing country in chess at the time,” Humpy said.
