CheQ signs multi-year title sponsorship deal with Global Chess League’s Mumba Masters

MUMBAI: It’s checkmate for the old team name. CheQ has signed a multi-year title sponsorship agreement with Mumba Masters, with the Mumbai-based franchise set to compete as CheQ Mumba Masters from Season 4 of the Global Chess League.

The partnership, which spans the next three seasons, marks a significant commercial step for the franchise, owned by Unilazer Ventures. It also gives CheQ a prominent association with one of India’s fastest-growing sports audiences.

Season 4 of the Global Chess League will take place in Bengaluru from September 5 to 13. The tournament will feature 36 players across six franchises, with a mixed-team format bringing together leading Indian and international players.

Among the names expected to headline the competition are Magnus Carlsen, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Indian chess icons Viswanathan Anand and Harika Dronavalli, who represents CheQ Mumba Masters.

For the franchise, the sponsorship is intended to go beyond putting a brand name on the team sheet. CheQ Mumba Masters and CheQ plan to use the partnership for fan engagement, digital campaigns, player interactions, rewards and grassroots initiatives aimed at bringing more people into the sport.

Suhail Chandhok, CEO of CheQ Mumba Masters, said the partnership reflects the shared values of strategy, patience and long-term thinking associated with both chess and the franchise’s ambitions.

For CheQ, the deal provides access to a digitally active audience as the fintech company expands its positioning beyond credit card management. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Bengaluru, the company offers credit card repayments, rewards and credit insights through a unified platform. Its recent CheQ UPI launch has also taken the business into everyday digital payments, including UPI transactions made through RuPay-linked credit cards.

Aditya Soni, founder and CEO of CheQ, said the company was keen to be part of the growing momentum around chess in India and highlighted the Mumba Masters’ team and its potential to connect with the country’s expanding fan base.

The sponsorship comes as India’s importance to the global chess ecosystem continues to grow. Data from World Chess, an official FIDE partner, cited by the companies shows that India accounts for 33 per cent of World Chess’s paid subscribers and 25 per cent of its free-to-play users, ahead of the US in overall engagement.

That audience profile is central to the partnership. Over the coming seasons, CheQ and CheQ Mumba Masters will look to build connections with younger, digitally engaged chess fans through a mix of online and offline activities.

The title deal gives both sides a longer runway to build that connection. For Mumba Masters, it brings a new commercial identity; for CheQ, it places the brand alongside a sport that is steadily moving from niche pursuit to mainstream Indian entertainment.