Arab Esports Federation makes move to launch online chess platform

RIYADH: A media company based in Australia has agreed an exclusive long-term online chess partnership with the Arab Esports Federation.

Under the terms of the deal, VADR Media’s esports-first chess-focused tournament and broadcast platform Checkmate.live will become the federation’s official online chess platform, data, and broadcast partner.

In September, Checkmate also announced a similar arrangement with the Asian Chess Federation, which has 52 national chess federation members throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania.

Both international partnerships further expand Checkmate’s reach in Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa.

Checkmate recently opened an office in the UAE and has been invited to attend the Next World conference in Riyadh as part of the Gamer8 Festival.

The linkup will allow both federations to plan and broadcast regular online esports-chess events while gaining access to Checkmate’s artificial intelligence anti-cheat and integrity program.

The Arab Esports Federation is the governing body of esports for 18 national associations in the Middle East and wider Arab region. The organization’s secretariat is based in the UAE, its headquarters are in Riyadh, and it is led by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan.

Checkmate is an esports-first competitive chess media company focused on producing and broadcasting linear and online tournaments for a new generation of players.

At its heart it is an extended reality-led, international esports series and a skills-based web3 platform that provides the opportunity to compete for glory, cash, credits, and in-game assets.

A key feature of the platform is its world-leading proprietary AI and computer vision-based chess anti-cheat program, which utilises