Asia
The Chess Super League organized by NODWIN Gaming, ChessBase India and Samay Raina concludes with a bang
Zakir Khan’s Pivotal Pawns bags a lion’s share of INR 40 lakh prize pool
NODWIN Gaming, South Asia’s leading esports company, in partnership with title sponsor CoinDCX. The week-long online league saw participation from elite men and women grandmasters, international masters and top junior boys and girls, from India and across the world. The league concluded on October 17, 2021 by awarding its top teams a whopping prize pool of INR 40 lacs and garnered a viewership of 10 Million.
In the 30+ hour long league, a total of 120+ rounds of chess were played. Each team was spearheaded by their owners – top professionals in their respective fields – including Tanmay Bhat (The Kingslayers), Biswa Kalyan Rath and Shreyas Shrinivasan (Krazy Knights), S8UL (Ruthless Rooks), Raftaar – Kalaamkaa (Brutal Bishops), Zakir Khan from Pivotal Pawns and Suhani Shah with Saina Nehwal from Quintessential Queens. The Pivotal Pawns (Abhijeet Gupta, Arjun Kalyan, Bhakti Kulkarni, Ding Liren, Savitha Shri, Zhansaya Abdumalik) and The Kingslayers (Anish Giri, Arpita Mukherjee, D Gukesh, Nana Dzagnidze, Soumya Swaminathan, S. P. Sethuraman) engaged viewers in an edge-of-the-seat finale that had the audience on tenterhooks before the Pivotal Pawns emerged winners after a tie-breaking armageddon game.
“The success of the Chess Super League (CSL) — our foray into the world of online chess, has reiterated our belief that various forms of gaming can come under the umbrella of gaming and esports entertainment. Chess is a fantastic game that teaches you strategy, deep thinking, patience and in the CSL format teamwork. It will do our country good if through tournaments like the Chess Super League, we can get more of India’s youth interested in this phenomenal game. Apart from the players themselves, the team owners along with the storytellers and Samay and Sagar did a splendid job in keeping up the fun and the serious element of the league in a great balance. We look forward to season 2 of CSL very soon!” said Akshat Rathee, Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming.
Sagar Shah, CEO and Co-founder ChessBase India added “Powering Chess in India is the vision of ChessBase India. I am glad that with the Chess Super League we were able to do just that. Immense benefit was received to Indian chess players as they got to compete with world class players. The juniors got a chance to interact with top players of the world which gives them new insights into the game. I am overwhelmed with the love and support for the league from all the players, community and audience members. It’s been wonderful working with Samay Raina and NODWIN Gaming and we hope to make this league bigger and better in the years to come.”
Samay Raina added “It’s difficult to believe that after only 18 months of starting to stream chess, I have been able to be a part of something this huge and exciting – with top players playing in our league. The whole league has been an emotional roller-coaster and we can’t wait to be back with the next edition. I want to specially thank the fans who have been incredibly supportive throughout this journey.”
The Chess Super League streamed live on Samay’s Youtube channel with lots of surround content including team anthems, highlights and analysis hosted on the ChessBase India channel and channels of the team owners. Overall, content from the Chess Super League has been watched over 10 million times in just a week.
The League was sponsored by CoinDCX (India’s safest crypto exchange) and supported by Red Bull, Mama Earth, Rage Fan NFT and Exploring Infinities founded by the man who holds the title for being ‘The Fastest Human Calculator’ — Neelakantha Bhanu.
“We are very excited to enter into the world of gaming and esports through our association with NODWIN Gaming. We are seeing increasing associations across the globe in the emerging and exciting areas of cryptocurrency and esports and look forward to several more collaborations where we get to associate ourselves with new experiential games and trends,” said Ramalingam Subramanian, Head of Brand, Marketing and Communications, CoinDCX.
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Asia
The UAE Lottery joins SAGIP outreach with Philippine Consulate and Infinite Communities
The UAE Lottery, operated by The Game LLC (a Momentum Group company), participated in the SAGIP community outreach initiative on 28 June, 2026 at the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, alongside the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai and Northern Emirates and Infinite Communities.
SAGIP—“Rescue” in Filipino—was positioned by organisers as an immediate support programme for Filipino community members navigating difficult circumstances. The session combined career coaching, counselling and wellness assessments, alongside distribution of essential grocery packs.
The programme also drew voluntary support from local Filipino businesses, HR practitioners, medical and healthcare professionals, psychologists and community volunteers, according to the organisers.
Consul Aleah Marie Gica said: “The Filipino community in the UAE has always demonstrated resilience and unity during difficult times. Community outreach programs such as SAGIP reflect the strength of collaboration between institutions and community organisations working together to support those most in need.”
Elena C. Cruz, Founder and CEO of Infinite Communities, said: “Through our Good Neighbour initiative and our collaboration with The UAE Lottery and the Philippine Consulate, we hope to create a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered to move forward with dignity and confidence.”
Suzan Kazzi, Associate Director of CSR at Momentum – The UAE Lottery, added: “At a time when many members of the Filipino community are facing various challenges, we aim to provide not only immediate relief through grocery pack distribution, but also pathways toward resilience and renewed opportunities. Through our HR specialists who volunteered their time and expertise, the career coaching sessions were designed to help beneficiaries navigate uncertainty, regain confidence, and reconnect with employment opportunities through practical advice and guidance.”
The post The UAE Lottery joins SAGIP outreach with Philippine Consulate and Infinite Communities appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
appointments
OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion
OS Studios has appointed Ishaan Arya as Country Manager for India, tasking him with leading the agency’s expansion across newly established hubs in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Mumbai. The appointment was announced on 25 June, 2026 in Bengaluru.
OS Studios, a Project Worldwide agency, said it recently entered the Indian market and will deploy its ‘Fan Z’ approach for brands looking to engage with gaming, esports and live events audiences in South Asia. The company said the expansion will leverage the infrastructure and production capabilities of sister agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) India.
“The future of gaming will be shaped by the communities that care about it most, and few markets embody that more than India,” said John Higgins, CEO of OS Studios. “To build something meaningful, you have to be part of the culture, not looking in from the outside. Ishaan understands that better than anyone. He’s exactly the kind of leader we want building the future of OS Studios in India.”
In the role, Arya will oversee operations, drive strategic brand partnerships, and scale local capabilities, according to the company. “Brands are investing heavily in Indian gaming, but true fan experience is too often an afterthought,” said Rasheed Sait, Chief Growth Officer for India and South Asia at Project Worldwide. “Alongside GPJ India’s experiential footprint, OS Studios will set a new standard for fan engagement in the region.”
Arya previously co-founded The Esports Club and most recently served as Vice President of Partnerships at Nodwin Gaming, where he led Comic Con India. “A massive gap remains between brand intent and authentic community engagement in India,” said Arya. “I’m thrilled to leverage Project Worldwide and GPJ India’s operational strength to build culture-defining experiences for brands and fans alike.”
The post OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion
PhilWeb Corporation, a Philippine Stock Exchange-listed technology company serving licensed digital entertainment and gaming platforms, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for a ₱2.02 billion strategic equity investment by prominent business leader Lance Y. Gokongwei.
The investment marks a significant milestone in PhilWeb’s transformation into an AI-enabled technology infrastructure company serving the regulated digital entertainment sector. Beyond the capital infusion, PhilWeb expects to benefit from Mr. Gokongwei’s strategic perspective, institutional experience and extensive business network as the Company strengthens its long-term technology roadmap and growth strategy.
Strategic Capital Infusion for AI and Technology Expansion
Under the definitive agreement, Mr. Gokongwei will invest an aggregate amount of ₱2,026,978,840.00 in PhilWeb. The strategic placement will be facilitated through a proposed increase in the Company’s Authorised Capital Stock from ₱2.6 billion to ₱3.6 billion, subject to the required corporate, stockholder and regulatory approvals.
The proceeds are intended to strengthen PhilWeb’s balance sheet and support the integration of advanced data and AI capabilities across its core technology roadmap:
• Enhanced Risk Management and Compliance Systems: Developing intelligent platform tools to support real-time risk scoring, transaction monitoring, suspicious activity detection and responsible gaming controls.
• Data Analytics and Platform Intelligence: Building secure data models designed to interpret user behaviour, optimise player lifecycle management and improve platform operating efficiency.
• Intelligent Recommendation and Retention Tools: Investing in automated recommendation engines to help licensed operators improve content discovery, platform performance and user engagement.
• Operational Automation: Enhancing internal and partner-facing systems through automation tools to optimise compliance workflows, reporting and high-throughput platform monitoring.
Strengthening PhilWeb’s Technology Moat
The transaction reflects growing investor interest in scalable technology infrastructure serving regulated digital entertainment ecosystems. PhilWeb has established a strong market footprint across the Philippine digital gaming and entertainment ecosystem, working with leading licensed operators, integrated resorts and platform partners including Hann Casino, Okada Manila, Newport World Resorts, NUSTAR Resort and Casino, FBM Philippines and PT Gaming. The integration of next-generation AI tools is expected to further strengthen PhilWeb’s domestic B2B infrastructure layer, enabling the Company to deliver greater operational efficiency, stronger compliance support and more scalable platform capabilities to its ecosystem partners while evaluating potential regional growth opportunities over time as market and regulatory conditions permit.
Management Perspective
“We are profoundly honored to welcome Lance Y. Gokongwei as a strategic anchor investor in PhilWeb. His investment represents a strong endorsement of our technology platform and long-term vision. Data intelligence and automated compliance tools are becoming essential layers of modern digital infrastructure. With Lance’s strategic investment and business network, PhilWeb is well-positioned to expand our AI technology roadmap, serve our established ecosystem of leading partners more efficiently, and evaluate long-term growth opportunities,” said Edgar Brian K. Ng, President of PhilWeb Corporation.
The post PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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