Idman.biz
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has announced that he has invested in chess.
Haaland will invest in Norway Chess (an annual international chess tournament held in Stavanger since 2013) and the new Total World Chess Championship.
Haaland, together with Norwegian businessman Marten Borge, is founding "Chess Mates", which will be the main shareholder of the Norwegian Chess Association.
"Chess is an incredible game. It sharpens the mind, and there are obvious similarities to football. You have to think fast, trust your intuition, and think a few steps ahead.
I am investing in Norway Chess because I believe the new Total World Chess Championship can make chess a more popular sport for spectators all over the world. The Norway Chess team has already done an impressive job developing the event, and joining the project was a very attractive and unmissable opportunity," said Haaland.
The Total World Chess Championship will consist of four tournaments held in four different cities throughout the year. The tournament will determine a single world champion in three disciplines - classical chess, rapid chess, and blitz. These competitions are sanctioned by FIDE for a minimum period of 16 years.
The tournament is reported to have a prize pool of at least $2.7 million. A pilot version of the tournament will be held in the fall of 2026, with the full season starting in 2027.
