Chess is no longer just a board game played by sophisticated people. It has become a household phenomenon, and its popularity has increased rapidly in the past decade. Furthermore, with shows like Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, more and more people are being interested in the game.

However, for a sport to flourish, sponsorships play a very crucial role.

The world chess champion, Magnus Carlsen, dominates modern chess, and he is somewhat responsible for spreading the game to a much larger audience. Well, now the Norwegian Grand Master has taken chess into a list of the world’s most popular sports by signing a deal with German sports company PUMA.

Magnus Carlsen secured a huge deal with Puma

The world chess champion Magnus Carlsen is the first Grand Master to get a top sports brand as a sponsor. He posted the news of the deal on his Twitter handle, saying, “I am honestly thrilled to be a part of the Puma family.”

While the company’s CEO Bjørn Gulden said, “We often think of sports as being physical, but you also need mental strength. Few people embody that spirit like Magnus, who is widely regarded as the best chess player of all time. We are proud that he has become a part of the PUMA Family.”

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Puma has signed a long-term deal with Carlsen and the Meltwalter Champions Chess Tour. The company will look forward to enhancing the popularity of chess by creating great content for chess fans around the globe.

Do other chess players also have such sponsorships?

The involvement of the huge money in chess is still new. While the top Grand Masters are millionaires, not every chess player has a lucrative lifestyle. However, the world chess champion is already in the big game now. PUMA sponsoring Meltwater Champions Chess Tour is huge for the Play Magnus Group, a company owned by Magnus Carlsen.

Apart from Carlsen, the American Grand Master Hikaru Nakamura has signed deals with companies like Esports, G-Fuel, and McDonald’s in the past. Furthermore, with the game of chess coming into the online world, many chess streamers on Twitch and YouTube are getting more and more sponsorships.

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However, with PUMA coming into the picture, chess will no longer be the same.