Credit: Twitter
Yuzvendra Chahal, who is known as the only Indian to represent the country in both cricket and chess, has joined the SG Alpine Warriors team in the Global Chess League. GCL is the first and largest official franchise chess league in the world, which aims to give fans a chance to witness the game in a new avatar.
The 32-year-old cricketer has been a part of Team India at the World Youth Chess Championship, but due to a lack of sponsors, he gave up on playing the sport as a professional. Still, he is listed on the International Chess Federation (FIDE) ratings, with an incredible Elo of 1956 to his name.
To make the announcement of joining the GCL, Yuzvendra Chahal took to his official Twitter account to send out a tweet stating that he has become part of the "Steel Army," the nickname of the SG Alpine Warriors team. The Indian sporting star also said all the best to the players, which includes the likes of former world champion Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Irina Krush, and Elisabeth Paehtz.
Notably, the GCL is billed as the only pro sports league in the world with both men and women featuring in the same team. The tournament has a double round-robin format with six teams involved. Each team will have four men’s and two women’s players competing against their opponents in 2.5 hours rapid format on six boards.
Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal is currently on a break from international cricket, with his eyes set firmly on the three-match ODI series against West Indies, set to begin on July 27 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
