20.10.2020 08:29:19 CEST | Play Magnus AS | Non-regulatory press releases

(Oslo, 19 October 2020) - The Nordic trading platform Skilling becomes the title
partner for the first tournament in the Champion Chess Tour, which is organized
by the Play Magnus Group. As part of the agreement, Magnus Carlsen will also act
as Skilling's ambassador and represent their brand in conjunction with the
launch that will take place this autumn.

"I have been fascinated by Skilling as a fintech player, and I like their desire
to make things accessible and easy for both beginners and those with experience.
We share the view that everyone with an interest in something should have the
opportunity to utilize and develop their full potential," says World Chess
Champion, Magnus Carlsen.

Espen Agdestein, formerly the manager of Magnus Carlsen for ten years and one of
the founders of Play Magnus, has been central in the work on the agreement in
his function as a strategic advisor for partnerships in Play Magnus Group. He
says that monetization is important for the tour, and that the collaboration
with Skilling is the first example of the commercial opportunities created
through the Champions Chess Tour.

"In chess, one must constantly consider possible gains against potential risk.
In order to make the right decisions over the chessboard, it is crucial to
understand the situation, both in the short and long term. A finance company
like Skilling thus becomes a natural partner for Magnus Carlsen personally, and
for the Champions Chess Tour. The agreement is also an important step in
building a financially sustainable foundation around the tour," says Espen
Agdestein, strategic advisor in the Play Magnus Group.

The Champions Chess Tour was started as a response to the Covid-19 outbreak in
the spring of 2020, and all the games are played online. The Champions Chess
Tour runs from November 2020 to September 2021, and Magnus Carlsen and the rest
of the world elite world's top players will compete in a total of ten online
tournaments. The first tournament, Skilling Open, runs from 22 to 30 November
and is broadcast on TV 2 Sport, among other places.

"Skilling offers online trading on a wide range of the world's stock, currency
and commodity markets. We are now working more actively with marketing aimed at
the Nordic market, and the sponsorship collaboration with Play Magnus and Magnus
Carlsen will be an important part of our investment in Norway and the Nordic
region. In addition, chess players are analytical and clever people, and we
believe many of them will be interested in international financial trading,"
says André Lavold, CEO of Skilling Group.

The agreement runs for 12 months, but it is the intention of both parties to
extend the agreement if the collaboration works well.

Play Magnus Group offers services where everyone can play, watch and learn
chess. The group's services consist of the Play Magnus App Suite, chess24,
Chessable, and CoChess, in addition to the Champions Chess Tour.



About Play Magnus Group

The Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on
providing premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and
students. The company offers e-learning and entertainment services via its
market leading brands: chess24, Chessable, CoChess, the Play Magnus App Suite,
and the Champions Chess Tour. The Group's mission is to grow chess to make the
world a smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn
a living from chess. 

About Skilling

Skilling was established in 2016 by Optimizer Invest, which is an investment
company started by the Norwegian and Swedish tech entrepreneurs André Lavold,
Henrik Persson Ekdahl and Mikael Riese Harstad. Skilling offers online trading
on a wide range of world markets in one and the same platform, such as Norwegian
or international stocks like Equinor or Tesla, stock indices such as Nasdaq or
OBX, gold, oil or cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. Skilling's vision is to make
trading interesting and accessible to everyone, in a transparent and secure way.

CONTACTS

 * Espen Agdestein, strategic advisor for partnerships in Play Magnus AS, +47
   922 55 093, espen.agdestein@gmail.com 
 * André Lavold, CEO of Skilling Group, +34 630 434646, andre@skilling.com 

ATTACHMENTS

 * Download announcement as PDF.pdf
   [https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/ir-files/16823864/144/162/Download%20announceme
   nt%20as%20PDF.pdf]