Indian stand-up comedian Samay Raina discussed the Global Chess League on a stream with Sagar Shah. Samay questions the weak promotion of GCL, and suggests ways to increase the event’s popularity.

Samay Raina

Samay Raina

Indian stand-up comedian

“Nobody watches this event. How are they making money? The question is, why aren’t they promoting it? They have so much money, they should be holding it outside. This is such a crazy event.

Sagar, you should tell them that this is such a good event, such good players, it should be done with fanfare.

[Sagar: What do you think should be done to promote the event?] Well, we should get everyone from Mumbai into this, I think. I feel that you can just give an honest reach out to all residents of Mumbai. We should all come together and spread the word.”

The Global Chess League is an annual franchise-based team competition held since 2023. The event is organized by FIDE in joint venture with Tech Mahindra. The 2026 edition will take place from September 5 to 13 in Bengaluru, India.

Samay Raina is a prominent Indian stand-up comedian, YouTuber, and content creator. Samay has organized and participated in several online chess events including SuperPogChamps 2025, Chess for Charity 2020, Chess Super League 2021, and others.

Credit: Samay Raina YouTube