Mastercard announced that it is joining the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour as an official partner and naming Magnus Carlsen, the highest-rated chess player of all time, a Mastercard Global Brand Ambassador, as it adds chess to its coveted roster of sports sponsorships. Carlsen is a natural fit to join the company's all- star lineup of ambassadors, which includes Lionel Messi, Naomi Osaka, Crystal Dunn and Dan Carter. Over the past decade, Mastercard has developed one of the most well-rounded sports and entertainment portfolios globally. In 2018, Mastercard became the first global sponsor of League of Legends Esports in a multi-year partnership with Riot Games, signifying Mastercard's support of the esports community. The sponsorship portfolio also includes partnerships across arts and culture, the culinary world, sports and music. From an initial boom on Twitch and streaming platforms to the Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit," chess has grown and evolved significantly over the last 18 months. Online tournaments have also brought the popularity of chess to new heights. More than 27 million hours of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour have been watched so far in its inaugural season, already more than all hours watched of chess on Twitch in 2019 with the Tour Finals still remaining.