9 July 2024

World Chess Plc

("World Chess" or the "Company")

World Chess to host highly anticipated chess rematch

World Chess plc (LSE: CHSS), a leading chess organisation committed to enhancing the global mass market appeal of chess by introducing a variety of innovative chess-related activities, is excited to announce it will be hosting "Clash of Claims 2", a highly anticipated chess rematch running from 19 - 21 August 2024, as the first 'Clash of Claims' match between Vladimir Kramnik and José Alcántara ended in controversy.

Vladimir Kramnik, the 14^th World Chess Champion, has been actively sharing evidence of what he believes indicates cheating in online chess tournaments. With the ease of access to software that could help players cheat, the results of some online tournaments have led to accusations of deception.

Following Vladimir Kramnik's claims, in June this year a hybrid approach was suggested with Kramnik playing against Grandmaster José Alcántara, a well-known online chess player, in a three-day chess event. This formed the first 'Clash of Claims' event, which was hosted at the Gran Vía Casino in Madrid and was a mixture of in-person board games and online matches via the Chess.com platform.  

Due to several technical issues with the Chess.com host platform during the event, World Chess has invited the players to return for Clash of Claims 2, this time to be held in London and hosted on its Chessarena.com platform. This rematch will have stringent physical and online anti-cheating methods to address previous alleged shortcomings. Chessarena.com is the only online platform that has an anti-cheating engine approved by FIDE, the international governing body of chess. 

Chessarena.com plans to leverage this event to highlight new platform features, including the introduction of in-game emoticons, and to promote a special 'Clash of Claims 2' marketing offer for new subscribers. This initiative reflects chessarena.com's strategy to intensify its marketing efforts and expand its market share.

The event will run from August 19 - 21 with live commentary from prominent figures in the chess community and interactive segments for viewers. Clash of Claims 2 will promote the mass market appeal of chess worldwide.

Ilya Merenzon, Chief Executive Officer of World Chess, said: "We are so excited to welcome these two renowned players, once again, to the stage to battle it out in London. 

"World Chess and the FIDE Arena are looking forward to resolving once and for all the fair play allegations raised by Kramnik, and to enhance the reputability of online chess tournaments. 

"We are confident chessarena.com will provide advanced anti-cheating measures and a superior platform from which the games will be hosted.

"Online chess is going through a major transformation right now. We are possibly witnessing the ultimate way to address all anti-cheating allegations - by taking an online dispute to the physical board, marking a truly hybrid approach."

For more information, please visit https://worldchess.com/investors or contact:

Notes to Editors

About World Chess Plc

World Chess (LSE: CHSS) is a London-based chess gaming and entertainment company and Fédération Internationale des Échecs ('FIDE') official commercial partner. World Chess organised the FIDE Championship Matches in the USA, and the UK, and revolutionised the sport by signing the biggest media partnerships in history. World Chess develops Armageddon, the chess league for prime-time television. World Chess also runs FIDE Online Arena, the exclusive official chess gaming platform. More at worldchess.com.