Ravichandran Ashwin to be co-owner of a Global Chess League franchise

The American Gambits will thus compete for the title against five other teams who were around in the first season of the Global Chess League: Alpine SG Pipers owned by APL Apollo-led SG Sports, Ganges Grandmasters owned by Insurekot Sports, Mumba Masters owned by Ronnie Screwvala led Unilazer Ventures, PBG Alaskan Knights owned by Punit Balan Group, and the inaugural season champions Triveni Continental Kings owned by Triveni Engineering & Industries Limited.

“We’re thrilled to introduce the American Gambits to the chess world. With a blend of strategic brilliance and unwavering determination, our team aims to redefine the game. As the co-owner, I’m excited to witness their journey and contribute to their success,” R Ashwin said in a release by Global Chess League.

“Prachura’s deep affection for chess and business acumen, Ashwin’s credentials both as an ace sportsman and chess lover, and Venkat K Narayana’s leadership in business and the film industry are well known. The trio’s franchise ownership is expected to bring fresh perspectives and dynamic growth to the league. We are delighted to have them on board for our fast growing and innovative Global Chess League,” Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said.

The format of Global Chess League

In the second edition of Global Chess League, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.

Each team will play ten matches across black and white pieces. The teams will play five matches, with all six players in each team initially playing with the white or black pieces against their opponents, followed by a reverse round in which the entire team will play five matches with the reversed colour pieces against the same opponent.

The winning team for every match will be determined by the points aggregated from wins and draws across all six games played in the match. The top two teams will advance to the final round.