Global Chess League: I will do my utmost best to live up to the challenge, says Anish Giri ahead of debut

As the second season of the Global Chess League is less than a month away, Grandmaster Anish Giri took a moment to share his excitement and plans ahead of his debut at the one-of-a-kind chess event, scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 12th in London.

“I am thrilled to be part of the event this year. I couldn’t join last year due to a scheduling conflict, but I followed the finale with great excitement. Looking forward to being on the other side of the screen this time,” expressed Giri, who will feature as an icon player for the Punit Balan Group-owned PBG Alaskan Knights.

He is set to compete against icon players, including Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (upGrad Mumba Masters), and Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings).

“The line-up is absolutely stacked this time. My board is going to be insanely strong,” acknowledged Giri.

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Despite the challenge, the 30-year-old Grandmaster has only one goal in mind, and that is winning. “I will do my utmost best to live up to the challenge,” he said.

Sharing his thoughts on the Global Chess League’s unique joint team format, Giri said, “We are yet to see if the concept will take off in our sport as well as it did in cricket, but such initiatives are important to try and push chess to further heights, using the momentum that it has gotten in the last few years.”

“I believe if we play our cards right, being part of the team will help each player shine. It can add to the pressure, but with the positive team spirit, it turns into support,” he added.