World Chess PLC chief executive Ilya Melenzon speaks to Proactive about his plans to list the company on the London Stock Exchange later this year. The initial public offer, of which a slice is open to retail investors via the PrimaryBid platform, is intended to raise up to €8mln for the company.
Melenzon says that chess has become “phenomenally huge” in recent years, supported by the rise of Magnus Carlsen, Covid lockdowns and the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. He also highlights the positive effect of the smartphone revolution on the number of active chess players globally.
World Chess’ main business is the organisation of ‘top-level’ tournaments, the operation of the official online gaming platform – the FIDE Online Arena – as well as other chess-related activities and merchandise.
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