The New Indian Express ·
Everything you need to know about the fourth edition of the Global Chess League
BENGALURU: With the fourth season of the Global Chess League set to begin in Bengaluru from Saturday, a look at the teams, the format, how it has carved a niche for itself and why Magnus Carlsen remains the star attraction and why India's R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh are giving it a miss.
What's the Global Chess League?
Backed by FIDE, the world governing body for the game, it's the biggest yearly franchise-based chess league. It's styled on the grounds of the Indian Premier League. There are a total of six teams, with the top two advancing to the final. The format sees the six teams play each other in a double round-robin. Each match-up features six ties. The noval thing about the GCL is that the time control is even though it's 20 minutes, there is only an increment of two seconds from the 41st move. It often leads to mad time scrambles with pieces flying off the board.
