Ravichandran Ashwin's American Gambits will feature in the second edition of the Global Chess League. The new team will replace Chingari Gulf Titans.

New Delhi: After Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the co-owner of a non-cricket team. Ashwin became the co-owner of American Gambits, which will participate in the second edition of the Global Chess League in association with Tech Mahindra and the International Chess Federation. The league on Monday unveiled six franchises for the second edition to be played from October 3 to 12 in London. American Gambits, owned by Prachura PP, Venkat K Narayan and Ashwin, will replace Chingari Gulf Titans.

“We are pleased to introduce American Gambits to the chess world. With a blend of strategic brilliance and unwavering determination, our team aims to redefine the game. As co-owner, I look forward to watching their journey and contributing to their success,” Ashwin said in a media release.

Five other franchises – Alpine SG Pipers, PBG Alaskan Knights, Ganges Grandmasters, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Mumba Masters will return for the second season. Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League said, “We are delighted to welcome teams for the second season of the Global Chess League. We have found the right partners to strengthen the league's global reach and look forward to bringing an exciting season of chess to fans around the world.

“The teams had a hugely successful season one and we believe their influence and popularity will continue to grow in the world of chess.” The players will compete in a unique joint team format consisting of six players, including two top female chess players and one outstanding player from each team.

Raising excitement and anticipation among fans, this innovative format will be telecast across major OTT and broadcast platforms across the globe. In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.

Each team will play 10 matches in black and white pieces. The sides will play five matches, with all six players from each team initially playing against their opponent with white or black pieces, followed by a reverse round in which the entire team plays five matches against the same opponent with reversed colored pieces.

The winning team in each match will be determined by the number of wins and draws in all six games played in the match. The top two teams will advance to the finals.