Sports company PUMA has signed a long-term agreement with Norwegian Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and with the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. Through the partnership with Magnus and the Tour, PUMA will connect the world of chess with the world of sport performance by creating engaging content and activations for chess fans around the world.

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Sports company PUMA has signed a long-term agreement with Norwegian Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. (Photo: Business Wire)

Carlsen, a five-time World Chess Champion, is an avid sports fan and a natural fit for PUMA. At just 13 years of age, he became the youngest Grandmaster at the time and won his first World Chess Championship in 2013. In 2014, he became the highest-rated player in history.

“We often think of sports as being physical, but you also need mental strength,” said PUMA CEO Bjørn Gulden. “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.”

As part of the agreement, the company will also support the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, which is managed by the Play Magnus Group, a company founded by Carlsen. The Tour is the most popular circuit in the chess calendar and reaches millions of fans worldwide through its innovate presentation of chess as a spectator sport.

“Being part of a great company such as PUMA and joining so many people that I personally admire, is special to me. As a chess player, I am a huge fan of sports and that makes this partnership even better,” Magnus Carlsen said.

Together with Magnus Carlsen and the Tour, PUMA will help to expand the influence of the game of chess and bring the sport forward to millions of fans around the world.

Further details about PUMA’s partnership with Magnus Carlsen and PUMA’s involvement with the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour will be made available at a later stage.

PUMA

PUMA is one of the world’s leading sports brands, designing, developing, selling and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories. For more than 70 years, PUMA has relentlessly pushed sport and culture forward by creating fast products for the world’s fastest athletes. PUMA offers performance and sport-inspired lifestyle products in categories such as Football, Running and Training, Basketball, Golf, and Motorsports. It collaborates with renowned designers and brands to bring sport influences into street culture and fashion. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Cobra Golf and stichd. The company distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs about 16,000 people worldwide, and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany.

Play Magnus Group

Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and students. The company offers elearning and entertainment services via its market leading brands: chess24, Chessable, iChess, New In Chess, Everyman Chess, Silver Knights, CoChess, Aimchess, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Group's mission is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn a living from chess. Play Magnus Group is listed on Euronext Growth Oslo under the ticker PMG. For more information visit pmg.me - http://pmg.me/.

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