Play Magnus Group, a leader in chess learning and entertainment, has completed its sale to Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website. The proposed acquisition was initially announced on August 24, 2022 and was unanimously recommended by the board of Play Magnus Group. After receiving regulatory and shareholder approval, the acquisition officially closed on December 16, 2022.
“I had the pleasure of co-founding Play Magnus together with Espen Agdestein and Magnus Carlsen, and I’m happy that the business is now being continued by the passionate team in Chess.com. The Play Magnus Group board stepped down this week as planned, and looking back at the journey since 2013 I am proud of what Play Magnus Group has achieved and am deeply grateful to all stakeholders for their support over the years,” said Anders Brandt, Chairman of Play Magnus Group.
“Play Magnus Group was created with the mission of enabling more people to play, watch, learn and earn a living from chess. I’m proud of our efforts in driving innovation in chess, and developing great products, events and services enjoyed by millions. As Play Magnus and Chess.com begin our journey together, we are extremely excited for the future of the game of chess,” said Andreas Thome, CEO of Play Magnus Group.
“Chess.com is 100% focused on our mission of serving the chess community and growing the game. I believe that joining Chess.com and Play Magnus Group together is the best way for us to achieve that mission. The future for chess is insanely bright, and as a fan I can’t wait for the amazing content, events, and products that are coming, ” said Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com.
“At the center of our goals for chess has always been to improve the livelihoods and opportunities for chess professionals. Bringing the best of what the chess world has to offer together — from top players, to creators and streamers, to authors — makes me more excited than I’ve ever been about where the chess community is headed and what we can achieve together!” said Danny Rensch, CCO of Chess.com.
About Chess.com: Chess.com is the world’s largest chess site with a community of more than 100 million members from around the world playing more than 10 million games every day.
About Play Magnus: Play Magnus Group was founded in 2013 with the goal of making the world a smarter place through chess and established the popular Champions Chess Tour and a suite of entertainment and learning chess products.
