Sidley acted for Chess.com on a multi-year partnership agreement with the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) that will bring competitive online chess to the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC).
The EWCF hosts the EWC, the world’s largest esports and gaming event which is an affiliate of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).
It is set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the summer.
The event will feature a tie-in with the 2025 Champions Chess Tour (CCT) and a US$1.5 million prize pool.
Additionally, it was announced that chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen will join Chess.com at the 2025 EWC as a global ambassador.
“This partnership is an incredible opportunity to grow the game, by introducing chess to new audiences and inspiring the next generation of players,” said Carlsen. “Being part of the esports family is an amazing opportunity for chess to broaden its reach to a massive group of esports fans.”
The Sidley team was led by partners Eric Geffner, Nima Mohebbi, and Chuck Baker with critical deal administration by managing associate Dylan Sherwyn.
CMS provided advice to the EWCF during last year’s inaugural tournament.
