Mumbai, Dec. 15 -- "Pulsating." That is how Global Chess League (GCL) commissioner Gourav Rakshit described Mumbai as the host city for the league's third season. And if you step into the Royal Opera House over the next 10 days, you'll see exactly why. On the pavement, a life-sized chessboard draws a crowd. A few metres away, a fan tournament is underway. Music drifts across the arena. Mascots roam. Families, students, creators, and first-time chess watchers move through the space with the unhurried curiosity of a cultural festival, rather than the reverence of a traditional sporting arena. The choice of venue, on paper, seems ironic. Opera houses trade in excess; chess operates on restraint. And yet, the pairing feels strangely fitting. Marcel Duchamp, the painter who abandoned art for chess, once famously remarked that "while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists." At the Royal Opera House, thus, chess finds a fitting stage. "It's an iconic venue that places us on the global stage and reflects the kind of innovative thinking we want to showcase from India," Rakshit said. For fans, premium lower-stall seats bring them within touching distance of the action, while balcony vantage points offer a full view of the boards. For Rakshit, bringing the league to Mumbai was never a question of if, but when. India is now the epicentre of the chess world, producing world champions, prodigies, and elite Grandmasters at a rapid pace. "There was a real appetite to see these players up close. So many of their biggest performances have happened overseas. We wanted to bring that experience home," he said. Compared to previous host cities like Dubai and London, Mumbai was not the obvious choice and that, Rakshit admitted, was precisely the appeal. "It's not traditionally known for chess, but it's a buzzing environment," he said. "This was about giving Mumbaikars a window into elite chess." It has done so conspicuously. In the weeks leading up to the tournament, the city was made to turn into a citywide chessboard. Over a thousand purple-and-white painted GCL-themed taxis, buses and autos criss-cross the city, acting like roaming chess pieces from South Mumbai to the suburbs. "Going forward, we want to paint double deckers, build a chess castle on Chowpatty beach, and paint the metro stations," Rakshit said. One of GCL's innovations this season is to deliver live commentary via headphones inside the field of play, a first for a FIDE-sanctioned event. Traditionally unthinkable in chess, the move is designed to bridge the gap between elite performance and fan understanding. "Without commentary, it's difficult for fans to appreciate the quality of the moves these Grandmasters are making," Rakshit said. With names like Viswanathan Anand, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura in action, the quality is unquestioned. The challenge, Rakshit said, is ensuring the experience matches it. "The aim is to draw fans towards the boards, not keep them outside in commentary zones."...