Global Chess League boss Peeyush Dubey on how the star-studded team competition won millions of fans, has bold plans to rival cricket’s Indian Premier League and is headed for London next.
Chess might not seem an obvious spectator sport but a new team-based competition modelled on cricket’s T20 franchise leagues has proven a surprise hit – and now it’s heading to London.
The Global Chess League, which last year featured stars of the game such as Magnus Carlsen, is to stage its second season in October in the capital, organisers will announce today.
A joint venture between world governing body Fide and Indian company Tech Mahindra, it borrows heavily from cricket’s Indian Premier League in a bid to replicate its success.
Players are allocated into six teams of six male and female players via an auction, contested by teams with names such as Ganges Grandmasters and Balan Alaskan Knights.
Last year’s first season final in Dubai attracted 1.3m viewers on Eurosport and provided a resounding proof of concept, says Global Chess League chair Peeyush Dubey.
“Dubai was a wonderful launch for us,” he told City A.M. “The real tournament took place and in the online world we had millions of views on social media.
“Most of the players that play are chess influencers and they have their own following. Because of that we were able to increase the viewership of chess not only during the tournament, but across the board.
“Normally any sports league takes many years to establish but GCL the first year really gave us the confidence that this is the place where both the chess brand and Tech Mahindra and Fide will definitely see the growth and, if anything, season two is only going to be a lot bigger and better.”
The Global Chess League has capitalised on two recent phenomena: the surge in popularity of online chess competitions and content that took place during the pandemic, and the trend of gaming as a spectator pursuit, as seen in esports.
“We felt there was a place to now promote a new kind of chess,” Dubey added. “One of the drawbacks is that it’s a very personal sport – it’s between two people, so you have to be there to experience it. The challenge that we faced was how do we make it broader?
“How do we make it something that people can follow? And thankfully as Twitch and Fortnite and the gaming revolution happened, there is a tremendous audience for people just playing and everybody else watching.”
Booming viewership is only part of the Global Chess League’s business plan. It also offers sponsor opportunities for watch and apparel companies – most players wear jackets – as well as any brand wishing to align with “strategy, rigour and intellect”, Dubey says.
And then there is team ownership. The six franchises were snapped up by Indian industrialists and sports entrepreneurs but the GCL will inevitably expand to accommodate more teams and says it has already fielded enquiries about buying in.
“Season Two has really opened up the doors for many more calls, whether it is sponsors, interested parties to see how soon we can expand it to more teams,” says Dubey. “There is definitely that pent-up demand already.”
London was a logical choice of host due to its global status and popularity among players. The competition will take place from 3-12 October at Friends House in Bloomsbury and be preceded by a trophy tour and Guinness world record attempt.
Beyond that, Dubey hopes the Global Chess League can become a closer challenger to the competition that inspired it. “Our vision is to make the Global Chess League not a very distant second from the IPL,” he said.
“When we started, the talk was that the first 10 spots are for cricket and let’s now fight for the 11th. Very soon, I feel that maybe it’s a top three only.”