Play Magnus Group
Play Magnus Group was a Norwegian chess technology and media company built around digital chess play, learning, publishing, and online competitions.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Play Magnus Group was a Norwegian chess technology and media company associated with world champion Magnus Carlsen. It originated in October 2013 as Play Magnus AS, founded in Oslo by Carlsen, his manager Espen Agdestein, and entrepreneur Anders Brandt. The initial business focused on a mobile chess application that allowed users to play against a computer opponent modeled on Carlsen's historical playing patterns. The app drew on a database of recorded positions from Carlsen's games, including games from his childhood, and was released in 2014. The company expanded beyond a single game application into a portfolio of consumer chess products. Magnus Trainer, introduced in 2016, provided structured chess exercises and learning content. Magnus' Kingdom of Chess, launched in 2018, adapted chess concepts for younger children through a game-oriented format. In 2019, Play Magnus AS merged with chess24, an established online chess website, creating the broader Play Magnus Group. The transaction gave the company a wider platform spanning chess play, video content, tournament coverage, and education. The group pursued an acquisition-led strategy. It acquired Chessable in February 2019, adding an interactive chess-learning and publishing platform based on digital courses and spaced-repetition study methods. In November 2020 it acquired the US chess website ichess.net. During 2021 it added several education and publishing assets: the Dutch chess magazine New in Chess, the publisher Everyman Chess, the chess content business associated with grandmaster Simon Williams and GingerGM.com, and the chess analytics service Aimchess. These acquisitions positioned the group as a multi-brand chess ecosystem rather than only an app developer. Play Magnus Group also developed chess events and online competition. It conducted the first Champions Chess Tour cycle beginning in November 2020 and running through October 2021. The tour helped connect the company's digital platforms with elite professional chess and provided a recurring online event property during a period when internet-based competition had become especially important. The company became publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2020. The offering raised approximately 300 million Norwegian kroner and assigned the company a valuation of approximately 796 million Norwegian kroner at the time, according to the cited Wikipedia account. After the listing, Magnus Chess, an entity controlled by Carlsen and his family, held approximately 9.5 percent of the company. The group subsequently remained focused on building a broad chess platform, although its business portfolio included a mixture of subscription services, digital products, publishing, content, and events. In August 2022, Play Magnus Group accepted an acquisition offer from Chess.com valuing the company at approximately 800 million Norwegian kroner. The transaction closed on December 16, 2022. The acquisition ended Play Magnus Group's independent corporate existence and brought its principal assets under Chess.com. Contemporary commentary cited in the reference material characterized Chessable as the group's only clearly sustainably profitable business and argued that the transaction substantially reduced the number of large commercial competitors to Chess.com, apart from the open-source Lichess ecosystem.
History
Play Magnus Group began as Play Magnus AS in Oslo in October 2013. Magnus Carlsen co-founded the company with manager Espen Agdestein and entrepreneur Anders Brandt. Carlsen initially held a majority stake, while Agdestein held a smaller ownership position. The founders used capital from Carlsen and investors in the United States and Norway to develop a mobile chess application centered on Carlsen's playing history. The Play Magnus app appeared in 2014. Its distinctive feature was an engine designed to imitate Carlsen at different ages, using positions from a database of his recorded games. Rather than offering only generic computer chess, the product attempted to create a personalized challenge based on the style and historical strength of a famous player. The company subsequently broadened its educational proposition. Magnus Trainer launched in November 2016 as a learning application, while Magnus' Kingdom of Chess followed in 2018 as a chess-themed game aimed at young children. A major structural change came in 2019, when Play Magnus AS merged with chess24. The transaction consolidated the app business with an established online chess service and formed the Play Magnus Group. In the same year, the group acquired Chessable, an interactive learning platform and marketplace for chess courses. Chessable became one of the group's most important assets and represented a move toward recurring digital education and creator-led content. The company continued to expand through acquisitions. It bought the US website ichess.net in November 2020. In February 2021 it acquired the Dutch chess magazine New in Chess, followed by the publisher Everyman Chess in May. In March 2021, grandmaster Simon Williams joined the group through the acquisition of the business behind GingerGM.com, including video courses and e-books. Aimchess, a chess analytics website, was acquired in May 2021. Together, these transactions created a portfolio spanning online play, training, publishing, analysis, and video instruction. Play Magnus Group became a public company on the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2020. The listing raised about 300 million Norwegian kroner and gave the company an indicated valuation of about 796 million Norwegian kroner. Following the offering, Magnus Chess, controlled by Carlsen and his family, held approximately 9.5 percent. The public listing gave the group capital and visibility as it attempted to assemble a large international chess platform. The group also developed live and online competitive properties. Its Champions Chess Tour began its first cycle in November 2020 and continued through October 2021. The tour linked the company's commercial digital products with top-level chess and helped make online competition a central part of its business identity. In August 2022, Chess.com agreed to acquire Play Magnus Group in a transaction valued at approximately 800 million Norwegian kroner. Completion took place on December 16, 2022. The acquisition ended Play Magnus Group as an independent listed chess company and transferred its brands and operations to Chess.com. Post-transaction commentary emphasized both Chessable's relative strength within the portfolio and the reduced competitive distance between Chess.com and other large commercial chess platforms.
- 2022
Acquisition by Chess.com closes
[1]Chess.com's acquisition of Play Magnus Group closes on December 16, ending the group's independent corporate status.
- 2021
Expansion into publishing, content, and chess analytics
[1]New in Chess, Everyman Chess, GingerGM content, and Aimchess become part of the group during the year.
- 2020
Oslo Stock Exchange listing
[1]The group lists publicly and raises approximately 300 million Norwegian kroner.
- 2019
Chess24 merger and Chessable acquisition
[1]Play Magnus AS merges with chess24 and acquires Chessable, substantially broadening its online and educational scope.
- 2018
Magnus' Kingdom of Chess launches
[1]A chess-themed game for younger children joins the company's mobile product portfolio.
- 2016
Magnus Trainer launches
[1]The group introduces a dedicated chess-learning application.
- 2014
Play Magnus app launches
[1]The company releases a mobile app featuring a chess engine modeled on Carlsen's historical games.
- 2013
Play Magnus AS is founded
[1]Magnus Carlsen, Espen Agdestein, and Anders Brandt establish Play Magnus AS in Oslo to develop digital chess products.
Products and positioning
A multi-brand digital chess ecosystem combining consumer chess applications, structured learning, online play, chess media, publishing, analytics, and professional tournaments, with strong association to Magnus Carlsen.
Mobile chess application · 2014
Play Magnus
The company's original mobile chess application allowed players to compete against an engine modeled on Magnus Carlsen at different ages. Its underlying database drew on positions from Carlsen's recorded games, giving the product a distinctive celebrity-player and progression-oriented identity.
Chess education application · 2016
Magnus Trainer
Magnus Trainer was introduced as a structured mobile learning product. It extended the company's proposition from playing against a Carlsen-inspired engine to practicing chess skills through instructional exercises and guided training.
Children's chess video game · 2018
Magnus' Kingdom of Chess
This game-oriented product was designed to introduce chess concepts to young children. It used a more playful format than the company's training and competitive applications and formed part of the group's effort to reach families and beginner players.
Online chess platform
chess24
Chess24 provided online chess play, video content, tournament coverage, and related media capabilities. Its 2019 combination with Play Magnus AS supplied the corporate group with a broader platform beyond standalone mobile applications.
Digital chess-learning platform
Chessable
Chessable is an interactive marketplace and learning platform for chess courses. Its digital approach to study, including structured course content and repetition-based learning, made it a central education asset in the Play Magnus portfolio.
Online chess tournament series · 2020
Champions Chess Tour
The Champions Chess Tour was a recurring online competitive event property developed by the group. The first cited cycle began in November 2020 and ran through October 2021, connecting elite chess competition with the group's digital platforms.
Chess magazine
New in Chess
New in Chess is a Dutch chess magazine added to the group's portfolio in 2021. Its inclusion expanded Play Magnus Group into established chess journalism and print-oriented media.
Chess publisher
Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess is a chess publishing business acquired in 2021. It complemented Chessable's digital courses with a traditional publishing operation focused on chess books and educational content.
Chess analytics service
Aimchess
Aimchess is a chess analytics website acquired by the group in 2021. The service added data-driven game review and performance analysis to the group's broader learning and training portfolio.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Champions Chess Tour
International online chess market
Play Magnus Group established a recurring online tournament series beginning in November 2020. The initiative promoted elite chess competition while directing attention toward the group's chess24 and wider digital ecosystem.
Outcome. The first cited tour cycle ran through October 2021 and became one of the group's most visible competitive properties.
Brand decisions
2022
Acquisition by Chess.comM&ABackground
After expanding through digital products, events, education, publishing, and analytics, Play Magnus Group agreed to be acquired by Chess.com.
Action taken
The group accepted an offer valued at approximately NOK 800 million in August 2022; the transaction closed on December 16, 2022.
Aftermath
Play Magnus Group ceased to operate as an independent listed company and its portfolio moved under Chess.com.
Acquisition value. Approximately NOK 800 million (Offer announced August 2022; transaction closed December 16, 2022)
2020
Public listing on the Oslo Stock ExchangeStrategyBackground
The group pursued public-market funding to support its expansion as a multi-brand chess technology company.
Action taken
Play Magnus Group listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2020.
Aftermath
The offering raised approximately 300 million Norwegian kroner and indicated a valuation of approximately 796 million Norwegian kroner.
Capital raised and implied company valuation. Approximately NOK 300 million raised; approximately NOK 796 million valuation (October 2020)
2019
Merge with chess24M&ABackground
Play Magnus AS sought to broaden its business beyond mobile applications by combining with an established online chess platform.
Action taken
The company merged with chess24 and operated thereafter as part of the Play Magnus Group.
Aftermath
The combination expanded the group into online play, video, media, and tournament services.
Sources1 sources
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