World Chess, the company behind the game-changing rise in the popularity of chess and the organizer of the recent Chess Championship Matches in New York and London, launches a chess-focused sports marketing agency. It’s the world’s first sports agency focused exclusively on chess.
The agency, Chess and Company, represents top chess talent and events, and aims to help brands across transport, technology, retail, hospitality and luxury sectors, to connect with chess in a way that has a long-lasting effect on the sport and to bring 600 million chess players closer to the brands’ offerings.
The services are delivered by the team that was responsible for staging the most successful events and activations in the sport, and done with the sharp and edgy sensibility and deep understanding of the market from both chess and clients’ side.
Nadia Panteleeva, who signed the biggest sponsorship deals in chess, including Kaspersky, PhosAgro, Algorand, as a head of partnership for World Chess, will lead the new agency.
“Dozens of brands we spoke with were looking for ways to add chess to their marketing and social responsibility mix”, — says Panteleeva. “It’s a perfect time for a specialized team that is equally at home working with chess stars, streamers, events, and inspiring brands to create meaningful experiences with the sport”.
Chess and Company will operate from London and Moscow and will focus on developing and leveraging partnerships with professional chess players, streamers, and top-circuit chess events and brand integrations.
In 2021 and 2022, the agency will work with brands that will be present at the FIDE World Chess Championship Matches, Grand Prix Series, the World Chess Armageddon Series as well as top national events and special projects.
“Number of people who play chess is bigger than the number of people who play tennis and golf combined”, — adds Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess. “But until now it has been largely ignored by professional marketers. It requires a deep understanding of the industry, established relationships, and a sense of humor — something that helped World Chess to make the sport popular and to bring it to the front pages, not only of the sports trades, but of business and design media. How often one gets a chess logo short-listed by the Cannes Festival?I”, — adds Merenzon.
