Business Wire

TX-TECH-MAHINDRA

22.2.2021 14:31:07 CET | Business Wire | Press release

Share
Tech Mahindra to launch first-of-its-kind Global Chess League

Tech Mahindra Ltd., one of the fastest growing Global IT companies and a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering services and solutions, today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind phygital (physical and digital) Global Chess League. It also announced that Viswanathan Anand, five-time World Chess Champion, and Indian Chess Grandmaster will mentor, partner, advise and help shape the league. With his motivational and inspirational stature across the world as an individual and a chess champion, Anand will help catalyse the growth of chess, further building the sport that has defined his entire life as he joins hands with the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League and becomes its face for the global audience and his fans.

The League’s launch will mark a watershed moment as it aims to raise the profile of the sport, discover new generations of chess champions, enhance the fan base of the sport and take the sport to new commercial heights. New-age technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality will be at the core and will be leveraged to explore innovative ways of promoting the game through interactive platforms to engage a global audience. Tech Mahindra will act as the architect behind this concept and will provide necessary operational and technological support to execute the vision.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said, “Chess still has an incipient and largely untapped potential across the globe. Recently, there has been a surge of interest post the online Chess Olympiad and the enormous popularity of a TV series based on the game. We hope that the creation of a league will harness this resurgence of interest and bring about a renaissance in the world of chess. I am particularly excited about sharing my learnings from founding the Pro Kabaddi league with the team in order to replicate that success on a much larger and global platform.”

Viswanathan Anand, 5-time World Chess Champion, said , “Chess is a game that is played by millions around the world. At this time, a unique opportunity exists to popularize it further and dramatically enhance its visibility through a global league powered by technology. I am personally happy to partner with a technology provider like Tech Mahindra, whose endorsement and promotion will certainly elevate the sport to a higher level and offer the right platform to popularize chess across the globe. There is a renewed interest in the game of chess and through this unique global league format, we will be able to keep the spirit of chess intact and ensure the right platform is provided to upcoming talent.”

Current plans envision the League to engage players from all levels – professional or otherwise. The League will have 8 franchise owned teams from across the world. The teams will comprise of a mix of titled women and men players along with juniors and wildcard entrants playing each other in a Round Robin format. The teams qualifying for the semifinals will enter the knockout stage of the championship. We are actively looking at the prospect of introducing innovative scoring, board selection methods and a fantasy league to maximize viewer engagement. The final League structure and team details will be announced in due course.

CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra, said,Chess has many synergies with the business world, with its emphasis on intellect, strategy and mental rigor. By leveraging Tech Mahindra’s expertise in new age technologies like 5G and Virtual Reality to drive fan engagement and viewership globally, we can truly transform chess into an e-sport. Furthermore, this global chess league will help us create an exceptional and inspirational experience by bringing the game home to global fans.”

As part of its NXT.NOW framework, which aims to enhance ‘Human Centric Experience’, Tech Mahindra has a deep focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies to deliver enhanced experience and enable digital transformation to meet the evolving needs of the customer.

About Viswanathan Anand

As a five-time World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand has cemented his place among the greatest Champions of all times. His hallmark lightning speed and intuitive play is well recognized and critics rate him as one of the biggest natural talents ever in the history of chess. He is the only champion in chess history to have won a World championship title in all formats, match, knock-out and tournament. In India he has received the high civilian awards of Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Arjuna Award. He is also the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. He is also a six-time winner of the coveted “Chess Oscars.”

About Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra offers innovative and customer-centric digital experiences, enabling enterprises, associates and the society to Rise. We are a USD 5.2 billion organization with 121,900+ professionals across 90 countries helping 997 global customers, including Fortune 500 companies. We are focused on leveraging next-generation technologies including 5G, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and more, to enable end-to-end digital transformation for global customers. Tech Mahindra is one of the fastest growing brands and amongst the top 15 IT service providers globally. Tech Mahindra has consistently emerged as a leader in sustainability and is recognized amongst the ‘2021 Global 100 Most sustainable corporations in the World’ by Corporate Knights. With the NXT.NOW framework, Tech Mahindra aims to enhance ‘Human Centric Experience’ for our ecosystem and drive collaborative disruption with synergies arising from a robust portfolio of companies. We aim at delivering tomorrow’s experiences today, and believe that the ‘Future is Now’.

We are part of the Mahindra Group, a USD 19.4 billion federation of companies that enables people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities. It enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership in India and is the world’s largest tractor company by volume. It also enjoys a strong presence in renewable energy, agribusiness, logistics and real estate development. Headquartered in India, Mahindra employs over 2, 56,000 people across 100 countries.

Connect with us on www.techmahindra.com

Our Social Media Channels
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechMahindra
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tech_Mahindra
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-mahindra/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/techmahindra09

Link:

ClickThru

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/TechMahindra

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group Raises US$1.24 Billion for Largest Reforestation Fund to Date[1]28.4.2026 17:00:00 CEST | Press release

Milestone positions Latin American reforestation strategy as a leading model for scalable, high-integrity conservation and restoration—combining sustainable commercial reforestation with large-scale ecosystem conservation and restoration to target economic returns, climate and biodiversity gains, and rural community benefits. Conservation International serves as Impact Adviser for social and environmental outcomes. BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (BTG Pactual TIG), one of the world’s largest timberland managers, today announced the close of fundraising for its Latin American Reforestation Strategy, reaching US$1.24 billion in commitments. This represents the largest reforestation fund closed to date,1 providing a model for large-scale reforestation and restoration that seeks to deliver durable climate impact, tangible benefits for rural communities, biodiversity outcomes, and sustainable commercial production. Global environmental organization Conservation International serves

Qatar Implements Relief Measures to Support Business Community28.4.2026 16:56:00 CEST | Press release

Qatar has activated a comprehensive package of support measures designed to maintain market stability and reinforce investor confidence amid evolving regional conditions. These measures, delivered through the nation’s foreign direct investment ecosystem, provide immediate financial, regulatory and operational relief to Qatar’s international business community. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260428904909/en/ Infographic highlights key relief measures implemented in Qatar to support the business community (Infographic: AETOSWire) H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of Invest Qatar, stated: “Qatar’s commitment to its business community is unwavering. As regional conditions continue to evolve, we remain fully focused on acting decisively to support companies operating in our market, safeguard business continuity and reinforce confidence. Our approach is grounded i

Dubai’s Medcare Hospital Becomes the World’s First to Treat an Adult Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Patient Outside the US28.4.2026 15:57:00 CEST | Press release

Medcare Royal Speciality Hospital (MRSH) in Dubai has become the world’s first hospital outside the USA, to offer a newly licensed intrathecal gene therapy - Itvisma, to adult patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). This one-time treatment was recently administered to a 22-year-old Egyptian patient, who was diagnosed at 18 months and confined to a wheelchair for most of his life. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260428038416/en/ Dr. Vivek Mundada with Medcare multidisciplinary medical team (Photo: AETOSWire) Last year, Medcare also became the first healthcare provider globally to administer the newly licensed Itvisma to a four-year-old international SMA patient. SMA is a rare neuromuscular disease that leads to progressive muscle weakness and loss of mobility, impacting movement, breathing, and swallowing. Until now, advancements in gene therapy for SMA were primarily restricted to children under the age o

Perpetual Atomics and QSA Global Fuel the World’s First Americium-Powered Radioisotope Heater Unit Core28.4.2026 15:48:00 CEST | Press release

In a landmark achievement for international space exploration, Perpetual Atomics, QSA Global, Inc. and the University of Leicester have completed the first historical production of an Americium-fuelled Radioisotope Heater Unit (RHU) full scale core containing ceramic form americium-241 pellets in a metal containment structure. This breakthrough builds on the successful americium pelleting work in late 2025 and on two decades of experience in leading the development of americium space nuclear power systems by the Leicester team. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260428027123/en/ QSA Global and Perpetual Atomics Team Born out of ENDURE, a European Space Agency (ESA) project, and part of a transatlantic collaboration, this achievement provides the steppingstones for an industrial pathway to deliver radioisotope power systems for spacecraft enabling these to survive and thrive in the most extreme environments in the

Alipay Launches AI Payment Processing Product to Help Businesses and OPCs Thrive in the Agentic Economy28.4.2026 15:47:00 CEST | Press release

New solution enables businesses to monetize services through AI agents Alipay today launched a new AI payment processing product that enables businesses, large and small, including One Person Companies (OPCs) in the Chinese mainland, to receive payments seamlessly when autonomous AI agents, including OpenClaw-type agents, purchase their services. This new product is being launched as AI agents are increasingly executing tasks on behalf of users, from booking travel and comparing prices, to allocating computing power and buying tokens. The product is available on Alipay’s website (https://aipay.alipay.com/). With Alipay’s AI payment processing product, small and medium-sized businesses do not need to build complex payment or settlement systems. By simply onboarding their monetizable services, businesses can reach more customers and receive payment each time an AI agent purchases their service. Bocha, an AI-powered search tool offering web search support for AI applications including Dee

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye