Author: Aadarsh Patel | EQMint
What started as a casual challenge from comedian Samay Raina during the pandemic eventually became an international sports venture involving some of the biggest names in chess.
In 2020, Raina challenged Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra to create a global chess league. What could have remained an internet joke instead became the foundation for the Global Chess League (GCL), a franchise-based chess competition created by Tech Mahindra and FIDE.
Mahindra later described the episode as the “most expensive joke” played on him.
It Started With Online Chess
The idea emerged during the pandemic, when online chess and chess streaming experienced a surge in popularity.
Mahindra came across streams featuring Samay Raina and chess commentator Sagar Shah during the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad. The growing audience around the streams highlighted the potential to present chess as entertainment for a much wider audience.
Raina’s challenge gave that observation a more concrete direction: why not build a global, franchise-based chess league?
FIDE Entered the Picture
The idea soon attracted the attention of the international chess establishment.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich approached Mahindra to determine whether the proposal was actually being pursued. Discussions followed, eventually resulting in a Memorandum of Understanding between Tech Mahindra and FIDE to develop the league.
What had begun with a social-media-era challenge was now moving towards a formal sporting venture.
Viswanathan Anand Joins the Project
The project received another major boost when five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand became involved as a mentor and advisor.
With Tech Mahindra, FIDE and Anand contributing to the initiative, the concept evolved into the Global Chess League, designed around a franchise model rather than the traditional individual format associated with professional chess.
The approach was intended to make chess more accessible to mainstream sports audiences while retaining the game’s competitive character.
From Dubai to Bengaluru
The Global Chess League held its inaugural season in Dubai in 2023.
The competition subsequently moved to London in 2024 before being staged in Bengaluru in 2025 and 2026.
The league’s franchise structure also brought together leading international players, including names such as Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja, giving the competition a high-profile player lineup.
From Joke to Global Sports Property
The scale of the project is a significant departure from the casual nature of the original challenge.
The league now features six franchises and a reported $1 million annual prize purse. Its projected five-year value has been reported at more than $40 million, reflecting ambitions to establish chess as a commercially viable global spectator sport.
The franchise model also creates a different viewing experience from conventional chess tournaments, bringing players together as teams and giving the competition a city- and franchise-oriented identity.
Why the Samay Raina-Anand Mahindra Story Stands Out
The story is less about a single joke and more about what happened after it.
During the pandemic, online chess was attracting new audiences, and Raina’s challenge gave Mahindra an opportunity to explore whether that interest could translate into a larger sporting property.
The Global Chess League shows how an informal idea can evolve when it connects with an existing trend, institutional support and commercial investment.
For Raina, it began as a challenge. For Mahindra, it became a project. And for the chess world, it eventually became a new franchise-based competition with an international footprint.
What Mahindra once called his “most expensive joke” has since developed into an annual sporting venture bringing together technology, entertainment, business and professional chess.
For more such information, visit EQMint
Join our WhatsApp channel for timely updates: Whatsapp
