Gukesh's Victory: A Potential Game Changer for Chess Sponsorships

Chess has traditionally been seen as a game for the 'nerdy' or 'overly cerebral,' often perceived as an exclusive domain for those with strong academic interests. This perception has historically led to a lack of significant commercial partnerships or advertising in chess events.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the key agents of this change is Samay Raina, who made chess a trend in online streaming. Raina attracted a varied set of audience to his live chess stream shows by making celebrity appearances. From Aamir Khan, Arijit Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal to highly recognized chess grandmasters including Vidit Gujrathi, Viswanathan Anand, and Koneru Humpy, and other distinguished individuals, Raina's live chess stream shows were graced.

In addition, the rise of young Indian players such as Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Gukesh Dommaraju has contributed to the sport's growing popularity.

Chess.com is a reputed site for playing, learning, and watching chess. In November and December, the Chess.com population experienced the biggest increase of all time. Registrations in India rose by 85%, while monthly active users jumped by 44%. By the end of December this year, more than one million daily active users (DAU) were from India among the 19 million cumulative-registered users of the site, which boasts an active monthly user base of around 9 million users. This website can now be accessed through both mobile applications and the Web.

Gukesh competed in the World Chess Championship in November and December.

Chess.com, in collaboration with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming, hosted a webcast of the 2024 FIDE World Championship from Habitat in Mumbai, running from November 25 to December 13. The broadcast featured prominent commentators like IM Tania Sachdev and IM Sagar Shah, founder of ChessBase India.

The event attracted 24 million live views and a peak concurrency of 200,000 viewers. During the stream, Chess.com partnered with four key brands such as Red Bull, Airlearn, POP UPI, and CheQ, whose ads aired during breaks along with YouTube pre-roll ads.

Avadh Shah, Country Director at Chess.com, noted, “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."

ChessBase India, led by CEO Sagar Shah, supports the chess community through initiatives like financial aid, free chess clubs in Mumbai, and monthly competitions. Their "Gift of Chess" campaign aims to distribute 30,000 chess sets to underprivileged communities across India.

What advantages will brands gain from collaborating with chess?

Brands partner with specific sports to meet targeted goals, such as using IPL for brand awareness or Kabaddi to reach tier-2 audiences. Similarly, partnering with Pickleball attracts CXO-level professionals.

Avadh Shah highlights that chess appeals mostly to a young audience, with 70% of viewers aged 18 to 35, mainly from tier-1 and tier-2 cities. He advises marketers targeting an educated audience to consider partnering with chess.

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.

Further, Shah stated, “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.”

The rise of 18-year-old Gukesh as chess's new face, compared to previous champion Viswanathan Anand, who won at 37, could significantly reshape the game's narrative, especially in terms of brand sponsorship.