Five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen has praised India for going in the right direction in the arena of chess, stating that it is only a matter of time before it becomes the leading chess nation in the world. India has made progress in the arena of chess. The nation has around 80 Grandmasters and also recently hosted the Chess Olympiad last year.
Carlsen is taking also taking part in the world's first and largest official franchise league being organised by Tech Mahindra along with the international chess federation (FIDE. He praised the nation for going in the right direction in chess. "I think India is doing a lot of right things so far, and it is a matter of time before it is clearly the leading chess nation in the world," Carlsen was quoted as saying in a press release.
The franchise league is named Global Chess League. 6 teams will be taking part in it and the league will be held in a double round-robin rapid format from June 21 to July 2 in Dubai. Carlsen is also excited to be part of it. "It is an exciting prospect for me to be a part of. This will be something new. Something that has not been done this way in over-the-board chess. I am looking forward to exploring this format for future," he added.
The league is being held in a double round-robin format between 6 teams. The winner of a match will be decided in a best-of-six board scoring system played simultaneously. The top two teams will qualify for the finals. Carlsen added that he enjoys playing in team events and is looking forward to playing with Indian players.
"Personally I very much enjoy team events and the team spirit within the group. So, it is something I always look forward to. I am looking forward to meeting the other players in the team. I look forward to competing with and against the exciting young generation of Indian players," he said.
The Norwegian Grandmaster also praised the format of male and female teams competing in the same team. "One of the really good things about this tournament is men and women can compete against each other at the same stage," Carlsen added.
