Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Pique's chess investment signals franchise future for Global Chess League
Chess is a board game played with little pieces on a checkered board.
For a long time, chess players competed one against another in tournaments.
Now, some people want chess to be more like big team sports such as football or cricket.
A man named Gerard Pique, who used to play football for Barcelona, has put money into a chess team.
His team is called American Gambits, and it plays in a league called the Global Chess League.
This league has six franchises, just like many big sports leagues have franchises.
Pique joins an Indian cricketer named Ravichandran Ashwin, who already owns part of the team.
The next season of the league will happen in Bengaluru, India, in September 2026.
Pique hopes that chess can become a fun sport that many fans follow, not just one watched by grandmasters.
Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique became a strategic shareholder in FYERS American Gambits, a Global Chess League (GCL) franchise, with financial terms undisclosed.
Pique joins Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, who became a co-owner of American Gambits in 2024.
The GCL's fourth season will be staged in Bengaluru, India, from September 3 to 13, 2026.
The league reported over 1 billion impressions and 10 million viewers across broadcast and digital platforms during its third season.
American Gambits' roster for the fourth season includes Javokhir Sindarov, Nihal Sarin, Daniil Dubov, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Sara Khadem and Marc' Andria Maurizzi.
- Who
- Gerard Pique, former Barcelona and Spain defender, who became a strategic shareholder in FYERS American Gambits alongside existing co-owner Ravichandran Ashwin.
- What
- Pique invested in the American Gambits franchise of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, part of an effort to turn chess into a franchise spectator sport; the size and financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
- When
- The investment was announced ahead of the GCL's fourth season, scheduled for September 3 to 13, 2026, though the article does not specify the announcement date.
- Where
- Bengaluru, India, which will host the GCL's fourth season; previous editions were staged in Dubai, London and Mumbai.
- Why
- Pique and league investors aim to transform chess from a tournament-driven individual sport into a commercially sustainable franchise sports property with recurring revenue.
- Investor
- Gerard Pique, former Barcelona and Spain defender
- Franchise
- FYERS American Gambits
- League
- Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL)
- League initiative
- Joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE
- Investment terms
- Not disclosed
- Fourth season dates
- September 3-13, 2026
- Fourth season venue
- Bengaluru, India
- Third season reach
- 1 billion+ impressions; 10 million viewers