Nodwin Gaming has announced a strategic partnership with the chess platform, Chess.com and India’s chess media and grassroots organisation ChessBase India. This collaboration aims to create an ecosystem that nurtures talent, expands reach, and builds India’s presence on the global chess esports stage.
ChessBase India offers access to India’s chess community and grassroots networks. Chess.com contributes its global platform, community, creator partnerships, and tournament infrastructure. Together, they aim to scale original IPs, deliver competitive formats, and provide opportunities for brands to partner in the chess ecosystem.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee said, “Chess is undergoing a cultural renaissance, from park benches and schoolrooms to sold-out esports arenas and creator streams. Chess has now become the fourth most-watched sport in the country after cricket, kabaddi, and BGMI tournaments. With this partnership, we’re not just supporting a heritage game, we’re aiding in its natural course of progression. By combining each organisation’s unique strengths, we’re building a future-ready ecosystem that can take Indian chess from heritage to hype. It’s time the brilliance of our grandmasters meets the energy of our digital generation.”
According to Chess.com, the game had over 7.6 billion plays worldwide in 2024. The platform currently claims to have over 200 million registered users, with India seeing nine million plus monthly active players, and an average of 550,000 new signups every month. As per Nodwin Gaming’s press release, the viewership for chess has skyrocketed with 925 million total organic views, reflecting a 640 per cent year-over-year growth.
The surge in visibility was evident during the World Chess Championship, which was exclusively streamed in India through the combined efforts of Nodwin Gaming, Chess.com, and ChessBase India. The final match between Gukesh Dommaraju and Ding Liren, which saw Dommaraju being crowned as the World Chess Champion, attracted over 24 million views, with peak concurrent viewership hitting 200,000, Nodwin stated in its release.
ChessBase India’s CEO Sagar Shah said, “This partnership is not just a business alliance — it’s a vision to grow the chess community in India from the grassroots to the grand stage.”
Chess.com India country director Avadh Shah remarked, “In terms of both participation and viewership, chess is experiencing record-breaking numbers—the highest we’ve ever seen. Given the excitement around the sport, it is only fitting that the leading companies within the ecosystem collaborate to further its development and invite partners to join this journey as well.”
At the upcoming Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, chess will make its debut with a prize pool of US$1.5 million. India’s esports organisation S8UL will represent India in competitive chess at the Esports World Cup with its roster of grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram, marking the first-ever representation of an Indian esports team in competitive chess on a global stage.
