By Venkatachari Jagannathan

Chennai, Mar 2 (IANS): Suspense continues on the status of the Global Chess League (GCL) that was announced last year by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and India's software company Tech Mahindra Ltd.

The FIDE and the listed company Tech Mahindra in June 2021 had announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for creating together the Global Chess League.

"A new holding company will be created to operate the functioning of the Global Chess League, in which the FIDE President will be part of the Board of Directors. The project will also count on the five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand as mentor and partner, who will not just advise but will also help shape the league," FIDE and Tech Mahindra had said.

The proposed league will be accorded the exclusive status of the only world league officially recognised by the FIDE.

However, nothing was heard about the proposed league or incorporation of the holding company, the shareholding pattern and other aspects.

It is also rumoured that the League plans have been cancelled.

When contacted for clarification, a senior FIDE official told IANS: "Nothing is cancelled. The project is very complex and we still discuss various options and formats."

According to the official, there are too many question marks and he cannot elaborate further on the issue.

A mail listing out the questions sent to Tech Mahindra by IANS remains unacknowledged.