India to host Global Chess League Season 3 in December

India will host the Global Chess League for the first time since its inception.

The third edition of the Global Chess League will take place in India from December 13 to 24, the organizers announced via a social media post on Thursday (August 7). The venue for the upcoming season is yet to be finalized.

The world’s first-ever franchise-based chess league, jointly hosted by FIDE and Tech Mahindra, witnessed six teams competing in both of the previous seasons. Season 1 of the Global Chess League took place in Dubai, while the second edition of the competition was hosted in London.

SG Alpine Warriors, Balan Alaskan Knights, Chingari Gulf Titans, Ganges Grandmasters, Triveni Continental Kings, and UpGrad Mumba Masters were the six franchises that competed in Season 1. The Triveni Continental Kings won the inaugural season, while UpGrad Mumba Masters finished as the runners-up.

Denmark’s Jonas Buhl Bjerre won the Player of the Final award by defeating Javokhir Sindarov in the fourth tie-breaker game. The first three games between the two players ended in draws.

Meanwhile, Indian chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the Player of the Season award, despite SG Alpine Warriors crashing out early of the event.

Global Chess League Season 2: How did the season pan out?

For the second edition, SG Alpine Warriors was rebranded as Alpine SG Pipers, while Balan Alaskan Knights was rebranded to PBG Alaskan Knights. Triveni Continental Kings, Ganges Grandmasters, and UpGrad Mumba Masters competed in Season 2 as well, while American Gambits replaced Chingari Gulf Titans for the season.

The Triveni Continental Kings successfully defended their title, defeating PBG Alaskan Knights in the summit. Alexandra Kosteniuk was named the Player of the Final after putting up a show against the Anish Giri-led PBG Alaskan Knights.

India’s Nihal Sarin was named the Male Player of the Season, while Poland’s Alina Kashlinskaya won the Female Player of the Season award. Both players represented the runners-up, PBG Alaskan Knights, in the second edition of the Global Chess League.

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