New Delhi: Tech Mahindra Ltd., one of the fastest growing Global
IT companies and a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business
re-engineering services and solutions, announced the launch of a first-of-its-
kind phygital (physical and digital) Global Chess League. It also announced
that Viswanathan Anand, five-time World Chess Champion and Indian Chess
Grandmaster will mentor, partner, advise and help shape the league. With his
motivational and inspirational stature across the world as an individual and a chess
champion, Anand will help catalyse the growth of chess, further building the sport that
has defined his entire life as he joins hands with the Tech Mahindra Global Chess
League and becomes its face for the global audience and his fans.
The League’s launch will mark a watershed moment as it aims to raise the profile of the
sport, discover new generations of chess champions, enhance the fan base of the sport
and take the sport to new commercial heights. New-age technologies such as 5G,
artificial intelligence, and virtual reality will be at the core and will be leveraged to
explore innovative ways of promoting the game through interactive platforms to engage
a global audience. Tech Mahindra will act as the architect behind this concept and will
provide necessary operational and technological support to execute the vision.
Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said, “Chess still has an incipient
and largely untapped potential across the globe. Recently, there has been a surge of
interest post the online Chess Olympiad and the enormous popularity of a TV series
based on the game. We hope that the creation of a league will harness this resurgence
of interest and bring about a renaissance in the world of chess. I am particularly excited
about sharing my learnings from founding the Pro Kabaddi league with the team in
order to replicate that success on a much larger and global platform.”
Viswanathan Anand, 5-time World Chess Champion, said, “Chess is a game that is
played by millions around the world. At this time, a unique opportunity exists to
popularize it further and dramatically enhance its visibility through a global league
powered by technology. I am personally happy to partner with a technology provider
like Tech Mahindra, whose endorsement and promotion will certainly elevate the sport
to a higher level and offer the right platform to popularize chess across the globe. There
is a renewed interest in the game of chess and through this unique global league
format, we will be able to keep the spirit of chess intact and ensure the right platform is
provided to upcoming talent.”
Current plans envision the League to engage players from all levels – professional or
otherwise. The League will have 8 franchise owned teams from across the world. The
teams will comprise of a mix of titled women and men players along with juniors and
wildcard entrants playing each other in a Round Robin format. The teams qualifying for
the semifinals will enter the knockout stage of the championship. We are actively
looking at the prospect of introducing innovative scoring, board selection methods and a
fantasy league to maximize viewer engagement. The final League structure and team
details will be announced in due course.
CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra, said, “Chess has many synergies with the
business world, with its emphasis on intellect, strategy and mental rigor. By leveraging
Tech Mahindra’s expertise in new age technologies like 5G and Virtual Reality to drive
fan engagement and viewership globally, we can truly transform chess into an e-
sport. Furthermore, this global chess league will help us create an exceptional and
inspirational experience by bringing the game home to global fans.”
As part of its NXT.NOW framework, which aims to enhance ‘Human Centric
Experience’, Tech Mahindra has a deep focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies
to deliver enhanced experience and enable digital transformation to meet the evolving
needs of the customer.
