Bengaluru: CheQ, one of the largest credit card bill payment platform hosted a warm welcome ceremony for it’s newly christened team, the CheQ Mumba Master in India, at its brand-new headquarters. The event brought together international grandmasters, franchise management, and CheQ executives to launch a partnership built on strategic alignment and shared ambition.
The team was greeted with an official welcome ceremony followed by interactive sessions designed to build camaraderie. Hosted by CheQ CEO and Founder Aditya Soni, the afternoon featured rapid-fire Q&A rounds, players sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes from high-pressure match situations, and a quick casual chess showdown between Soni and the grandmasters.
The CheQ Mumba Masters lineup in attendance featured star grandmasters Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Harika Dronavalli, and Bardiya Daneshvar, led by Grandmaster and Team Captain Surya Sekhar Ganguly. They were also joined on stage by U Mumba CEO Suhail Chandhok and ChessBase co-founder Sagar Shah to officially mark the occasion.
During the interaction, Soni reflected on the platform's rapid evolution from a simple credit-management concept to a major financial platform processing nearly $800 million in monthly payments for over 5 million users. "We started with a simple belief that credit access in India was growing and users needed one place to manage it all," said Soni. “As we scale and invest heavily into our brand, chess feels like the most natural alignment. Chess runs in our DNA, even our company name, 'CheQ', was directly inspired by our love for the game."
The visual and cultural synergy between the two organizations was immediately evident to leadership on both sides. "When we looked at renders of CheQ's new office, we were amazed to see that their logo and office colours matched our team jersey perfectly," noted Suhail Chandhok, CEO of U Mumba. “It’s a natural synergy that goes well beyond aesthetics. We’ve had a strong few years, and with CheQ on board as our title partner, we are aiming to win our first championship in the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League.”
Beyond immediate tournament goals, both CheQ and the team management emphasized that the association is designed for long-term impact across the chess ecosystem.
Addressing the players directly, Soni affirmed, "We are fully committed to this partnership and to the team, irrespective of the outcome on the board. We really want to do more for chess outside of just these two weeks, and we look forward to doing some really cool stuff together throughout the year."
Echoing this shared vision, Chandhok concluded, "To have CheQ on board is fantastic, and we want to build a very strong partnership together. It’s not just on the board for these two weeks, we're excited to collaborate with Aditya and the team across the entire year to grow the sport."
The meet-and-greet concluded with a networking lunch and a strategic briefing outlining upcoming digital campaigns, fan-engagement initiatives, and ground activations planned for the season.
