Carlsen becomes a Global Brand Ambassador of Mastercard
Magnus Carlsen is currently playing in the 36th European Club Cup 2021 for Offerspill Chess Club in Struga, North Macedonia. He scored 2.5/3 for his team. This will be his last over-the-board tournament before he defends his world championship in November. His last tournament before the world championship defense, will be Meltwater Champions Chess Tour finals which starts on Saturday 25th September 2021.
The world champion tweeted about the fact that the World Chess Championship match is locked now
twitter.com/i/status/1440725301839872003
Check out the short interview by Unibet, the sponsor of the World Champion.
On the previous day, Tuesday 21st September, it was announced that Magnus Carlsen has been named as the Mastercard Global Brand Ambassador. He joins the all-star lineup of ambassadors - Lionel Messi, Naomi Osaka, Crystal Dunn and Dan Carter.
“Expanding the influence of the game of chess has always been close to my heart. To have Mastercard, which brings people and their passions together in meaningful ways, partner with the Tour is very exciting,” said Carlsen. “Chess has given me so many priceless experiences over the years, and I’m proud to join Mastercard to bring the sport forward to millions of fans around the world.”
Mastercard tweeted the announcement:
twitter.com/i/status/1440310981695995908
What does this mean?
Mastercard is a household brand. It is difficult to find a family where everyone owns a credit or debit card, yet none of them have a Mastercard. The commercials of Mastercard and the tagline of the brand is well-known to everyone: "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mastercard". There is already wordplay on Mastercard as GrandMastercard going around everywhere, and it might not be far when we see a Grandmastercard lineup. Carlsen becoming a Global Brand Ambassador means more eyes will be on chess, which means more viewership, increase in demographic, more engagement leading to an eventual increase in prizes and sponsorship too in the cerebral sport.
The World Chess Champion and highest-rated player of all-time is part of a new relationship that sees the Mastercard become an official partner of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.
Source: Press Release - Mastercard and Champions Chess Tour
Links
Follow Magnus Carlsen: website, twitter, youtube, twitch and instagram
