The Swiss private bank Julius Baer has signed an agreement to partner with the Champions Chess Tour, the world’s biggest online chess event.
The Champions Chess Tour, organized by Play Magnus Group, is a season-long series of tournaments that culminates in the autumn of 2021. It features the world’s best chess players, including World Champion Magnus Carlsen.
Julius Baer became a partner of the new tour’s forerunner, the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, earlier this year. That partnership has now been extended to the Champions Chess Tour.
As part of the partnership, Julius Baer will place special focus on fostering the educational benefits of chess, supporting in particular children playing chess.
Yves Robert-Charrue, Head Switzerland, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Julius Baer said: “We believe in chess’s potential and benefits, such as critical thinking and problem solving skills. And similar to Julius Baer, the game in this online version is taking a new approach, adapting to trends that will shape our future.”
Magnus Carlsen, co-founder of Play Magnus Group, added: “We are delighted to welcome Julius Baer onto the Champions Chess Tour. Education and helping chess players improve is at the core of what the tour is about, and we know Julius Baer has a particular interest in this area. The partnership is a perfect fit.”
CEO of Play Magnus Group, Andreas Thome says: “Champions Chess Tour is a success, and the first round in November had great ratings in several markets across the world. I am happy to welcome Julius Baer onboard as a partner. This is a quality stamp for the Tour, and at the same time an indication of its commercial attractiveness for partners.”
The Champions Chess Tour runs from November 2020 to September 2021. Magnus Carlsen and the rest of the world elite players will compete in a total of ten online tournaments. The second tournament, Airthings Masters, runs from 26 December 2020 to 3 January 2021 and is broadcast on NRK and Eurosport, among other places.
Play Magnus Group offers services where everyone can play, watch and learn chess. The group’s services consist of the Play Magnus App Suite, chess24, iChess.net, Chessable, and CoChess, in addition to the Champions Chess Tour.
For further comments, contact:
Andreas Thome, CEO, Play Magnus AS
+47 975 11 688
Arne Horvei, Tour Director, Play Magnus AS
+47 90 66 22 49
Julius Baer media relations
+41 (0) 58 888 8888
About the 2021 Champions Chess Tour
The 2021 Champions Chess Tour will, for the first time in history, determine the world’s best chess player over a full competitive season of online chess. Beginning in November 2020, the Champions Chess Tour will feature monthly tournaments culminating in a final tournament in September 2021. The best chess players in the world will compete in a total of ten tournaments of rapid chess. All games will take place online on www.chess24.com with players competing for a total prize pool of USD 1.5 million.
About 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 e-learning and entertainment services via its market leading brands: chess24, Chessable, CoChess, iChess.net, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the 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.
About Julius Baer
Julius Baer is the leading Swiss wealth management group and a premium brand in this global sector, with a focus on servicing and advising sophisticated private clients. At the end of September 2020, assets under management amounted to CHF 413 billion. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., the renowned Swiss private bank with origins dating back to 1890, is the principal operating company of Julius Baer Group Ltd., whose shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: BAER) and are included in the Swiss Leader Index (SLI), comprising the 30 largest and most liquid Swiss stocks.
Julius Baer is present in over 20 countries and more than 50 locations. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key locations including Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mexico City, Milan, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Mumbai, São Paulo, Singapore and Tokyo. Our client-centric approach, our objective advice based on the Julius Baer open product platform, our solid financial base and our entrepreneurial management culture make us the international reference in wealth management.
