Reigning world champion Ding Liren and top-ranked Magnus Carlsen are to participate in next month’s inaugural franchise-based Global Chess League (GCL), organizers said yesterday.
The tournament is to run from June 21 to July 2 in Dubai and feature six teams of six players each, including a minimum of two female players and an “icon” player per team.
Carlsen and Ding are to join as two of six “icon” players, along with Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
Photo: Reuters
The final two names are to be confirmed at a later date, organizers said.
“Global Chess League will be a great new event in over-the-board chess that has never been done before,” Carlsen, who has been the world’s top-ranked player for over a decade, said in a statement. “I’m excited to be a part of this unique mixed-team format.”
China’s Ding, 30, became world champion last month, taking the crown from Carlsen, after the 32-year-old Norwegian last year said he would not defend his title.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Dubai also staged the 2021 Chess World Championship, when Carlsen won his fifth title.
Russian grandmaster Alexander Grischuk, France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Hou Yifan of China, a four-time women’s world champion, will also participate in the tournament.
Anand, 53, held the world title from 2007-2013, when he lost to Carlsen, and was elected as the deputy president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in August last year.
The GCL is a joint venture between FIDE and Indian IT services provider Tech Mahindra.
“My involvement with the GCL predates my becoming deputy president,” Anand said. “I was in discussions with Mahindra and I was advising them more than a year before that.
“Once I went on to become the FIDE deputy president, it slotted in nicely. One of the things I suggested early on is that they work together with FIDE,” he said.
The six teams will compete in a round-robin format and play 10 matches each, with the top two teams qualifying for the final.
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for