Team Secret Chess expansion
Following the chess trend in esports, European organisation Team Secret has signed a contract with grandmaster Anish Giri (pictured left). He will be the brand ambassador for the Esports World Cup 2025, where chess has been included as a significant discipline for the first time. Team Secret was the latest in a number of Esports organisations to sign agreements with chess players ahead of the championship.
In addition to Team Secret, teams such as Team Liquid, Wolves Esports, and Team Falcons have signed contracts with high-profile chess players. All of them intend to compete for the $70 million Esports World Cup 2025 prize pool, which will be spread across 25 tournaments and club competitions. The prize money for chess players will be $1.5 million.
GM with a million subscribers
Anish Giri is perhaps the most popular of the 15 grandmasters (GMs) who have signed with Team Secret. He is currently ranked 18th in the world, having become a grandmaster at the age of 14. He has four Dutch championship wins to his credit and around one million followers on social media.
Commenting on the new partnership, John Yao, CEO of Team Secret, recognised Giri’s world-class talent and promise. Yao welcomed his addition to the team, ‘Giri is a brilliant competitor as well as a hilarious and winning personality.’
Team Secret’s contract with Anichess
In preparation for the Esports World Cup, Team Secret has also partnered with Anichess, a free-to-play game with Web3 elements created by blockchain company Animoca Brands and online chess platform Chess.com. Anichess released the single-player mode of the chess game in early 2024. Yao has joined the Anichess team as an advisor to finalise the PvP mode ahead of the planned release.
Team Secret aims to improve Anichess’s competitive features by advising the team on game design and supporting the growth of the player base. In its official statement, it noted its intention to ‘strengthen Anichess’s esport status by creating a new platform for playing and learning.’
Chess in the Esports agenda
The inclusion of chess in the Esports World Cup program is one of the reasons behind the increased interest of esports organisations in the classical game. This year’s championship with an expanded program will be held in the Saudi capital from 31 July to 3 August. This addition is an important milestone for the chess world, as the game will be presented to a broad audience of esports enthusiasts.
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, described the attraction of the ancestor of all strategy games as an exciting event. He noted the discipline’s alignment with the competition’s mission: ‘With its rich history, global appeal, and thriving competitive scene, chess is a perfect fit for our mission to bring together the most popular games and their passionate communities.’
This article was first published in Russian on 15 April 2025.
