Harpal Singh Bedi
New Delhi, 14 December: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Tuesday unveiled a 6-team Indian Chess league, to be held in June 2022
Calling it a game-changing League, which will have the world’s top players the AICF said the first of its kind 6-team franchise model event will take place over two weeks in the double round-robin format in one or two Indian cities.
The top two teams will clash in the finals.
‘ Talking to media persons here, AICF president Sanjay Kapoor said “Our dream is coming true. The Indian Chess League is going to change the face of chess in the country. It will help us attain our goal of becoming World No. 1 in the near future,’ .
Further elaborating, AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan said that each team will consist of eight players, including 2 Super GMs, 2 Indian GMs, 2 Women GM and 1 Junior Indian Boy and Girl each.
‘The idea is to not only draw the best players from around the world but also to provide India’s players a formidable platform to sharpen their skills,’ he said.
The AICF has roped in Gameplan Sports Private Limited as the official and exclusive Rights Holder to hold, organize, promote and market the Indian Chess League.
‘The matches will be telecast live to draw more and more players to chess,’ Bharat Singh said. ‘We will announce the criteria for becoming a franchise owner shortly. We have already received a good response from corporates,’
The prize money in the national championships, too, has been hiked up, with MPL coming on board as the main sponsor. The AICF is also close to realizing its Chess in Schools project, with the sport set to be introduced as part of the curriculum in schools across the country. he said
‘We are delighted to partner with the AICF to make the Indian Chess League a reality,’ Gameplan Director Jeet Banerjee said. ‘Our aim is to build a buzz around it, and make it into a viable and sustainable league that the chess fans can enjoy,’
“The AICF has been promoting the sport since a new set of office-bearers took charge last year. It recently announced its calendar for 2022, with as many as 13 international tournaments lined up,” he added