REG - World Chess PLC - Official opening of World Chess Club Berlin

World ChessAnnouncement

22/05/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 1150A  World Chess PLC  22 May 2023

22 May 2023

World Chess Plc

("World Chess" or the "Company" or the "Group")

Official opening of World Chess Club Berlin

World Chess Plc (LSE: CHSS), a leading chess organisation seeking to promote
the mass market appeal of chess globally through the commercial offering of
different chess-related activities, is pleased to announce that World Chess
Club Berlin (the "Club") has now officially opened.

The opening marks the launch of World Chess' ambitions to reinvent the chess
club culture in its entirety. The aim is to modernise the concept to fit more
readily into mainstream society and function more as a social and
collaborative centre. World Chess sees Berlin as an obvious location to debut
this new and revised approach, given the cumulative factors of the substantial
popularity of chess within Germany, and its vibrant café and bar scene.

The Club is located in the centre of the city on the popular street of Unter
Den Linden, which starkly contrasts traditional chess clubs that have lately
functioned out of multipurpose rooms. It will operate as a bar, event space,
concept chess shop, coffee shop, and café and is hoped to set a new standard
for the whole industry.

World Chess Club Berlin will also act as a hub, hosting chess events for the
respective city as well as the rest of Europe. In addition, it will operate as
the Armageddon Chess Series' headquarters, with the 2023 series already being
staged and filmed from its bespoke, purpose-built studio.

 

As the Berlin Club is part of the World Chess ecosystem, members of the FIDE
Online Arena will get additional discounts and member-only access to a limited
number of events. In keeping with World Chess' aim to grow the sport and
encourage people from all backgrounds, the Club is open to all with no need
for a membership.

 

The Club will not only operate as a symbolically significant space for the
chess community but is also visually captivating, standing to act as a
physical landmark for the sport going forward. World Chess believes this is
only the beginning of the chess club renaissance and intends to open further
clubs around the world in the future.

Ilya Merenzon, Chief Executive Officer of World Chess, said:

"To date, chess has suffered from a lack of dedicated clubs and those that do
exist are often very traditional, which can be intimidating for many. We
wanted to build a club that is a symbolically significant space for the chess
community, for both those living in and visiting Berlin.

"Whilst technology has allowed the sport to grow virtually, we are also seeing
a growing trend of people wanting to meet and play together, so we want to
help facilitate and promote this immensely important social component through
the Berlin Club.

"The new club will play an important role in helping to bring chess out of the
traditional stereotype and back into the modern world so that it can be shared
and appreciated by all. The process of opening the World Chess Club Berlin has
been very rewarding and we cannot wait to continue revolutionising chess clubs
across the world in the future. Please do stop by if you are ever in Berlin
and do let us know if you have a suggestion as to which city we should open
our next club in!"

Figure 1: Visitors to the Club enjoying the multifunctional space whilst
playing chess

Figure 2: World Chess Club Berlin, Unter den Linden 26-30, 10117 Berlin,
Germany

For more information, please visit https://worldchess.com/investors
(https://worldchess.com/investors) or contact:

 World Chess                       Via Yellow Jersey PR

 Ilya Merenzon, CEO
 Novum Securities Limited          +44 (0) 20 7399 9400

 David Coffman / George Duxberry
 Yellow Jersey PR

 Charles Goodwin                   +44 (0) 774 778 8221

 Annabelle Wills                   +44 (0) 777 519 4357

 

Notes to Editors

About World Chess Plc

World Chess (LSE: CHSS) is a London-based chess gaming and entertainment
company and Fédération Internationale des Échecs ('FIDE') official
commercial partner. World Chess organized the FIDE Championship Matches in the
USA, and the UK, and revolutionized the sport by signing the biggest media
partnerships in history. World Chess develops Armageddon, the chess league for
prime-time television. World Chess also runs FIDE Online Arena, the exclusive
official chess gaming platform. More at worldchess.com
(https://worldchess.com/) .

 

 

 

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