Checkmate
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Checkmate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Checkmate
- Legal name
- Checkmate Live Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://checkmate.live
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Checkmate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Esports Gaming Platform
- NAICS
- Other Gambling Industries (713290), Gambling Industries (7132), Amusement Arcades (71312)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sweepstakes / Social Casinos (Virtual Currency, Prize-Based) (MPAEABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Poker Integrity, Security & Dispute Resolution (Collusion, Bot Detection) (MPAEAEAM), Poker Technology & Software (Clients, RNG, Anti-Fraud, HUD/Analytics) (MPAEAEAH), Player Wallets, Escrow & Custodial Account Services (MPAEALAK)
Keywords
Where Checkmate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Abu Dhabi
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices2 records
Markets served
Checkmate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Freemium Core Platform: Free-to-play platform with Rookie (free) tier offering basic features and ad-supported gameplay. Revenue generated from conversion to premium tiers and in-app purchases.
- Subscription Passes: Pro Pass (monthly/annual) for competitive players with advanced features, tournament eligibility, video conferencing. Arcade+ subscription for enhanced rewards in Arcade Mode. Alpha Pass for elite early adopter access.
- Battle Pass: Seasonal premium upgrade offering exclusive rewards, features and perks. Purchasable monthly, per season or annually. Single season redemption.
- In-App Purchases: Virtual currencies (Crowns premium, Credits earned), loot boxes, card packs, chess sets/skins, avatar purchases, tournament entries.
- Battle Mode Staking: Player-vs-player battles where winners take all staked collectible cards minus platform fee. Fee split between Checkmate Live and Community Treasury.
- NFT/Alpha Pack Sales: Limited edition Alpha Avatars and collectibles sold as NFTs. One-of-a-kind collectibles with unique traits, utility and exclusive benefits.
- Tournament Entry Fees: Entry fees for competitive tournaments, particularly Pro Mode and official Echess events with USDC prize pools.
- Marketplace Trading: Trade Mode marketplace for trading skins, collectible items, and digital assets. Platform takes fees on transactions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier with basic features and ad-supported gameplay |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium subscription for competitive players with advanced features |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription for competitive players |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Elite early adopter access with limited edition avatar and exclusive benefits |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Seasonal battle pass with exclusive rewards and perks |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Checkmate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Checkmate Live is a free-to-play esports-first chess tournament and broadcasting platform that lets players compete in speed chess (Blitz, Bullet, Rapid) across Arcade Mode (casual), Pro Mode (USDC-prized competitive), and Echess (FIDE-rated via the Asian Chess Federation). The platform also hosts Battle Mode player-vs-player staked matches, a Trade Mode marketplace for digital collectibles, and the Immortals: Battle for New Earth collectible card game, with AI-powered fair play enforced by its proprietary Sixth-i anti-cheat system.
Product overview
Checkmate Live is a free-to-play competitive chess and gaming platform that operates as a unified ecosystem with multiple interconnected products. The core platform combines speed chess esports with AI-powered fair play (Sixth-i), supporting casual play through Arcade Mode and competitive play through Pro Mode and Echess (FIDE-rated). Additional revenue-generating products include Battle Mode (winner-takes-all card battles), Trade Mode (marketplace), and Immortals: Battle for New Earth (collectible card game). Premium access is enabled through Alpha Pack, Pro Pass, and Battle Pass subscriptions. The platform also features Quantum Avatars and a Proof of Play reward system to drive engagement, with the CHECK token serving as the ecosystem utility token.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sixth-i: Proprietary AI-powered anti-cheat system developed to ensure fair play in online chess and esports tournaments.
Products and services
- Checkmate Live Platform Free-to-play online broadcast and tournament platform for speed chess and mind sports, combining sportech, media, and interactive entertainment with competitive play, collectibles, and rewards powered by AI anti-cheat technology.
- Arcade Mode Casual speed chess mode within Checkmate Live where players earn XP, credits, and loot through rapid-fire battles, Quests, Brawls, Showdowns, and Rumbles.
- Pro Mode Competitive mode with mandatory KYC, FIDE-supervised online games, and high-stakes USDC prizes including Pro tournaments, special events, and rated tournaments for competitive players.
- Trade Mode Marketplace for trading skins, collectible items, and digital assets within the Checkmate ecosystem, with the platform taking a fee on each transaction.
- Battle Mode Player-vs-player winner-takes-all battles combining strategic collectible card gameplay with chess matches; players stake collectible cards and compete, with the platform fee split between Checkmate Live and the Community Treasury.
- Immortals: Battle for New Earth Free-to-play digital collectible card game within the Checkmate ecosystem; players collect powerful cards, engage in rapid-fire battles, and compete to unlock the Immortal Gambit legendary card.
- Echess Asian Chess Federation's esports initiative combining traditional chess with fast-paced online competitions, offering official ACF ratings and online supervised games in blitz, bullet, and rapid formats.
- Alpha Pack Premium one-time collectible package offering a limited edition Alpha Avatar, 4x Mystery Box keys, Alpha Pass for up to 7 years of elite platform access, and exclusive benefits.
- Sixth-i Anti-Cheat System Proprietary AI-powered anti-cheat system that detects unauthorized modifications and cheating patterns in real-time using computer vision and behavioral analysis, always on and always learning.
Quantifiable outcome
- Platform covers 73 national federations representing Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Oceania
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Checkmate
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Checkmate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability9 records
Feature7 records
Checkmate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Asian Chess Federation (ACF)coreExclusive tournament partnership making Checkmate the official online platform for ACF esports initiative (Echess). Covers 71-73 national federations across Asia, Middle East, and Oceania. Enables official ACF ratings and online supervised games.
- Team SecretflagshipTeam Secret adopted the CHECK token and became esports partner for the Checkmate Ecosystem. Team Secret is a prominent esports organization.
- Arab Esports FederationcoreExclusive tournament partnership for esports chess competitions. Represents national federations in the Middle East region.
- Tencent CloudflagshipStrategic partnership to enhance competitive integrity in online chess and gaming. Shared vision for convergence of media and technology in competitive play and broadcasting.
- Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC)coreVADR Media (parent company) is a member of ESIC. Collaboration to bring fair play and true competitive integrity to casual and pro online chess. Violations may be reported to ESIC.
- Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII)coreCollaboration for real-time anti-cheat innovation. Jointly developed Sixth-i AI anti-cheat system with University of Technology Sydney.
- University of Technology SydneycoreAcademic partnership for Sixth-i AI anti-cheat system development. Research collaboration on computer vision and behavioral analysis for fair play enforcement.
- SzuperchesscoreAcquired European AI anti-cheat company specializing in gaze-tracking technology. Integration into Checkmate.live platform for enhanced cheating detection using computer vision.
- SumsubcoreThird-party KYC provider for identity verification. All sensitive verification documents processed securely by Sumsub. Compliant with GDPR and data protection regulations.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Checkmate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Sorare: Web3-native fantasy sports platform with NFT cards, free-to-play mechanics and tokenized player assets. Comparable to Checkmate in NFT collectibles, Web3 onboarding and the play-to-earn hybrid model via Trade Mode and Alpha Pack.
- Axie Infinity (Sky Mavis): Pioneer of play-to-earn crypto gaming with token economy, NFTs and staking mechanics. Comparable to Checkmate in Web3-native game design, tokenized rewards and marketplace trading, though a cautionary tale on token-economy sustainability.
Broad incumbents
- PokerStars: Largest online poker brand, comparable in tournament structure, integrity systems, KYC/AML stack and ecosystem monetization (subscriptions, passes, marketplace). Established benchmark for the type of vertically integrated skill-based gaming platform Checkmate is building.
- Play Magnus Group: Chess training app ecosystem and tournament operator now part of the chess.com group. Comparable to Checkmate in chess-focused product DNA and tournament operations, with broader incumbent scale.
- GGPoker: Major online poker platform with strong tournament, broadcasting and anti-cheat infrastructure. Comparable to Checkmate in online skill-based tournament architecture, USDC/crypto-adjacent prize pools and broadcast media layer.
Direct peers
- Lichess: Free, open-source online chess platform. Direct competitor to Checkmate's Arcade Mode and freemium proposition; its no-cost, donation-funded model exerts pricing pressure on any paid chess platform.
- Chess24: Online chess platform (merged into the Play Magnus / chess.com group) focused on professional tournaments, broadcasting and training. Direct competitor in the broadcast-and-tournament niche Checkmate targets with Echess and Pro Mode.
- Chess.com: The dominant online chess platform with tens of millions of MAUs, offering play, lessons, tournaments and broadcasts. Direct competitor to Checkmate across casual and competitive chess, with vastly larger network effects, brand and content library.
- Stake.us: Sweepstakes-style social casino with virtual currency and prize-based redemption model. Closest analog in the candidate taxonomy for Checkmate's free-to-play + Crowns + prize redemption architecture in Arcade and Battle Modes.
Others
- GameSquare Holdings: Esports media, teams and content company. Comparable as a peer in the esports ecosystem (Team Secret-style teams, media, sponsorships) relevant to Checkmate's broadcast ambitions and Team Secret partnership, though not a direct platform competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Checkmate social profiles
Digital presenceCheckmate compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Checkmate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Checkmate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Checkmate subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Checkmate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Checkmate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Checkmate
What does Checkmate do?
Checkmate Live is a free-to-play esports-first chess tournament and broadcasting platform that lets players compete in speed chess (Blitz, Bullet, Rapid) across Arcade Mode (casual), Pro Mode (USDC-prized competitive), and Echess (FIDE-rated via the Asian Chess Federation). The platform also hosts Battle Mode player-vs-player staked matches, a Trade Mode marketplace for digital collectibles, and the Immortals: Battle for New Earth collectible card game, with AI-powered fair play enforced by its proprietary Sixth-i anti-cheat system.
Is Checkmate a public or private company?
Checkmate is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Checkmate founded?
Checkmate was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Checkmate based?
Checkmate is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does Checkmate make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Freemium Core Platform is the primary driver. The others are subscription Passes, battle Pass, in-App Purchases, battle Mode Staking, NFT/Alpha Pack Sales, tournament Entry Fees and marketplace Trading.
Who are Checkmate's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Sorare and Axie Infinity (Sky Mavis). Broad incumbents are PokerStars, Play Magnus Group and GGPoker. Direct peers are Lichess, Chess24, Chess.com and Stake.us. GameSquare Holdings is listed as an others.
Does Checkmate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Checkmate.
What industry is Checkmate in?
Checkmate's product category is Online Esports Gaming Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEABAE, Sweepstakes / Social Casinos (Virtual Currency, Prize-Based), with a secondary code of MPAEAEAM, Poker Integrity, Security & Dispute Resolution (Collusion, Bot Detection). Its NAICS code is 713290 and its SIC code is 7990.