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Chess has traditionally been regarded as a game for the 'nerdy' or 'overly cerebral' crowd, typically viewed as an exclusive domain reserved for those with strong academic interests. Historically, this notion resulted in a dearth of large commercial collaborations or advertising in chess events.
However, this narrative has shifted, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Samay Raina, who popularised chess through online streaming during Covid, was a crucial driver of this transition.
Raina attracted diverse audience to his live chess streaming shows by inviting celebrities such as Aamir Khan, Arijit Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, as well as notable chess grandmasters such as Vidit Gujrathi, Viswanathan Anand, and Koneru Humpy, among others.
With everyone at home during the pandemic, his streams gained massive traction.
The Netflix series The Queen's Gambit also played a pivotal role in fuelling the resurgence of chess and inspiring a new wave of fans.
In addition, the rise of young Indian players such as Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Gukesh Dommaraju has contributed to the sport's growing popularity.
Trivia: Prior to becoming the youngest world chess champion at the age of 18, Gukesh D had only one endorsement arrangement with RBL Bank.
Chess.com, a portal for playing, learning, and watching chess, experienced substantial growth between November and December 2024. In India, platform registrations climbed by 85%, while monthly active users (MAU) increased by 44%.
In India, daily active users (DAU) topped one million by the end of December, with over 19 million registered users and an active monthly user base of nine million. Chess.com is accessible via both its website and mobile app, broadening its reach and accessibility.
Gukesh competed in the World Chess Championship in November and December.
Chess.com, in partnership with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming, organised a webcast of the FIDE World Championship from Habitat in Mumbai from November 25 to December 13, 2024.
Chess.com, in collaboration with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming, hosted a live webcast of the FIDE World Championship from Habitat, Mumbai. The event achieved remarkable viewership, amassing 24 million live views with a peak concurrency of 200,000 viewers.
The programme featured famous commentators, including IM Tania Sachdev, a significant personality in Indian chess content, and IM Sagar Shah, the founder of ChessBase India.
The event garnered impressive viewership, with a total of 24 million live views and a peak concurrency of 200,000 viewers. During the stream, the platform partnered with four key brands — Red Bull, Airlearn (a tech-driven education platform), POP UPI, and CheQ (a financial services app) — whose ads appeared during the breaks, alongside YouTube pre-roll ads.
Avadh Shah, country director, Chess.com, says, “Despite fewer brands traditionally associating with chess, the scale of the event and the growing interest in the game brought in four to five brands to partner with us. This indicates a promising trend, and we're expecting even more brands to join in as we move into 2025."
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ChessBase India, led by CEO Sagar Shah, has also actively supported the chess community through a variety of projects. These include offering financial assistance to participants, establishing free chess clubs in Mumbai, and conducting monthly competitions.
ChessBase India's Gift of Chess campaign seeks to give 30,000 chess sets across India, promoting the game in underprivileged communities.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, the firm rallied the chess community to support relief efforts. These initiatives have considerably increased chess's visibility in India while also promoting player development.
With 2.5 million followers on YouTube and 600,000 followers on Instagram, ChessBase India has become a key platform for chess news, content creation, and player support in the country.
afaqs! I contacted Sagar Shah for a comment, but he was unavailable.
What advantages will brands gain from collaborating with chess?
Brands often partner with specific sports to achieve targeted objectives. For example, associating with the IPL helps boost brand awareness, while collaborating with Kabaddi allows brands to connect with tier-2 audiences.
Similarly, partnering with Pickleball provides an opportunity to engage with CXO-level professionals.
Avadh Shah explains that the chess audience is mostly young, with 70% of viewers aged 18 to 35, primarily from tier-1 and tier-2 cities across India. He suggests that marketers looking to reach an educated audience should consider partnering with chess.
"The chess audience is predominantly young, with 70% of viewers aged 18 to 35, primarily from tier-1 and tier-2 cities across India. Marketers aiming to engage with an educated audience should strongly consider partnering with chess "
Avadh Shah, country director, Chess.com
He adds that edtech, energy drinks, fintech, and gaming brands are especially well-suited to engage with the chess community.
Chess.com generates revenue from three sources: subscribers, sponsorships, and ad revenue. While most of the app's functions are free, users can gain access to premium features by purchasing a premium membership.
Sponsorship is a major revenue source for both live events and app-based tournaments, allowing sponsors to demonstrate their presence through branding and advertising.
Ad money is earned through static advertisements, GIFs, and video ads on the app and website.
Chess.Com hosts events for two types of players: top players (such as grandmasters) and recreational players.
The world's greatest players compete in high-profile events such as the Champions Chess Tour and the Speed Chess Championship, whereas grassroots events such as the India College Chess Championship draw participation from various colleges.
“Additionally, events like the 'Comedians on Board' IP with Samay Raina, although not player-led, attract significant viewership and help bring more attention to chess. These events ultimately contribute to user growth and subscriptions for Chess.com,” says Shah.
It would be fascinating to see how the landscape of chess evolves, with Gukesh emerging as the sport's face at the age of 18, in contrast to previous winners such as Viswanathan Anand, who won the title at 37. This alteration has the potential to substantially alter the game's storyline, particularly in terms of brand sponsorship.