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Magnus Carlsen’s start-up Take Take Take takes aim at Chess.com with move into play and learn tools  Magnus Carlsen’s chess startup ‌Take Take Take announced on Monday it was pushing into the play ​and learning markets central to Chess.com’s core business, despite commercial ties preventing ⁠him from promoting the venture directly.Five-time classical chess world champion Carlsen is a major shareholder and co-founder of Take Take Take, which is expanding from a content platform into tools for playing and improving at ‌chess, long seen as the backbone of Chess.com’s dominance.Yet Carlsen will step back from promotion as part of an agreement when Chess.com acquired Carlsen’s Play ‌Magnus group in 2022, a deal that brought several leading products — including Chess24 — under ‌its ⁠umbrella and cemented its position at the centre of the online chess ecosystem.“Because ⁠my co-founder and the biggest shareholder is Magnus Carlsen, and he is also an ambassador for Chess.com. There are limitations to how Magnus can then promote Take Take Take because it’s in conflict with the agreement with ​Chess.com,” co-founder and CEO Mats Andre Kristiansen ‌told        Reuters.“It’s not a great situation to be in for either us or Magnus. I think for Magnus, it’s frustrating because he’s super excited about what we’re building,” he added.Take Take Take has sought to accelerate its entry into the market through a partnership with ‌Lichess, the free, open-source platform that has long positioned itself as a non-commercial ​alternative to Chess.com.ALSO READ | I don’t deserve this point: Vaishali on win against Tan in FIDE Candidates 2026, Round 7The tie-up gives the startup immediate access to an existing player base, avoiding the need to build a network from scratch.Take Take Take’s ⁠move marks a shift for a company that had until now stayed clear of confrontation with Chess.com.“My first meeting with Chess.com was in 2023… literally the first thing he (CEO and co-founder ‌Erik Allebest) ever said to me was, never enter play and never enter learn. That’s ours. And I found that quite intimidating,” Kristiansen said.Kristiansen stressed the aim was not necessarily to displace the market leader, arguing the competitive landscape could broaden.“First of all, our goal is not necessarily to kind of dethrone Chess.com. They are a great product and they’ve done a great amount of things for the chess ecosystem,” he said.PUSHBACKKristiansen stressed that Norwegian Carlsen intends to ‌respect the obligations he has with Chess.com, even if it limits how visibly he can back Take ​Take Take.“I think also Magnus has tremendous respect for Chess.com and the agreement and is going to honour their agreement, and that’s why he’s pulling out ⁠of … the promotional stuff for us. It’s hard to sort of silence Magnus Carlsen,” he said.The move ⁠comes as new ventures emerge across the chess ecosystem.Endgame.ai, promoted by American grandmaster Hans Niemann, is targeting performance and development tools, while ChessMonitor, backed by grandmaster Anish ‌Giri, is focusing on analytics and preparation.Kristiansen said Take Take Take would try to win users with products rather than personalities and expects Chess.com to respond.“I don’t expect ​Chess.com to kind of ignore this, and it will certainly come with a reaction on their side,” he said.Published on Apr 06, 2026  #Magnus #Carlsens #startup #takes #aim #Chess.com #move #play #learn #tools

Magnus Carlsen’s start-up Take Take Take takes aim at Chess.com with move into play and learn tools

Magnus Carlsen’s chess startup ‌Take Take Take announced on Monday it was pushing into the play ​and learning markets central to Chess.com’s core business, despite commercial ties preventing ⁠him from promoting the venture directly.

Five-time classical chess world champion Carlsen is a major shareholder and co-founder of Take Take Take, which is expanding from a content platform into tools for playing and improving at ‌chess, long seen as the backbone of Chess.com’s dominance.

Yet Carlsen will step back from promotion as part of an agreement when Chess.com acquired Carlsen’s Play ‌Magnus group in 2022, a deal that brought several leading products — including Chess24 — under ‌its ⁠umbrella and cemented its position at the centre of the online chess ecosystem.

“Because ⁠my co-founder and the biggest shareholder is Magnus Carlsen, and he is also an ambassador for Chess.com. There are limitations to how Magnus can then promote Take Take Take because it’s in conflict with the agreement with ​Chess.com,” co-founder and CEO Mats Andre Kristiansen ‌told Reuters.

“It’s not a great situation to be in for either us or Magnus. I think for Magnus, it’s frustrating because he’s super excited about what we’re building,” he added.

Take Take Take has sought to accelerate its entry into the market through a partnership with ‌Lichess, the free, open-source platform that has long positioned itself as a non-commercial ​alternative to Chess.com.

ALSO READ | I don’t deserve this point: Vaishali on win against Tan in FIDE Candidates 2026, Round 7

The tie-up gives the startup immediate access to an existing player base, avoiding the need to build a network from scratch.

Take Take Take’s ⁠move marks a shift for a company that had until now stayed clear of confrontation with Chess.com.

“My first meeting with Chess.com was in 2023… literally the first thing he (CEO and co-founder ‌Erik Allebest) ever said to me was, never enter play and never enter learn. That’s ours. And I found that quite intimidating,” Kristiansen said.

Kristiansen stressed the aim was not necessarily to displace the market leader, arguing the competitive landscape could broaden.

“First of all, our goal is not necessarily to kind of dethrone Chess.com. They are a great product and they’ve done a great amount of things for the chess ecosystem,” he said.

PUSHBACK

Kristiansen stressed that Norwegian Carlsen intends to ‌respect the obligations he has with Chess.com, even if it limits how visibly he can back Take ​Take Take.

“I think also Magnus has tremendous respect for Chess.com and the agreement and is going to honour their agreement, and that’s why he’s pulling out ⁠of … the promotional stuff for us. It’s hard to sort of silence Magnus Carlsen,” he said.

The move ⁠comes as new ventures emerge across the chess ecosystem.

Endgame.ai, promoted by American grandmaster Hans Niemann, is targeting performance and development tools, while ChessMonitor, backed by grandmaster Anish ‌Giri, is focusing on analytics and preparation.

Kristiansen said Take Take Take would try to win users with products rather than personalities and expects Chess.com to respond.

“I don’t expect ​Chess.com to kind of ignore this, and it will certainly come with a reaction on their side,” he said.

Published on Apr 06, 2026

#Magnus #Carlsens #startup #takes #aim #Chess.com #move #play #learn #tools

Magnus Carlsen’s chess startup ‌Take Take Take announced on Monday it was pushing into the play ​and learning markets central to Chess.com’s core business, despite commercial ties preventing ⁠him from promoting the venture directly.

Five-time classical chess world champion Carlsen is a major shareholder and co-founder of Take Take Take, which is expanding from a content platform into tools for playing and improving at ‌chess, long seen as the backbone of Chess.com’s dominance.

Yet Carlsen will step back from promotion as part of an agreement when Chess.com acquired Carlsen’s Play ‌Magnus group in 2022, a deal that brought several leading products — including Chess24 — under ‌its ⁠umbrella and cemented its position at the centre of the online chess ecosystem.

“Because ⁠my co-founder and the biggest shareholder is Magnus Carlsen, and he is also an ambassador for Chess.com. There are limitations to how Magnus can then promote Take Take Take because it’s in conflict with the agreement with ​Chess.com,” co-founder and CEO Mats Andre Kristiansen ‌told Reuters.

“It’s not a great situation to be in for either us or Magnus. I think for Magnus, it’s frustrating because he’s super excited about what we’re building,” he added.

Take Take Take has sought to accelerate its entry into the market through a partnership with ‌Lichess, the free, open-source platform that has long positioned itself as a non-commercial ​alternative to Chess.com.

ALSO READ | I don’t deserve this point: Vaishali on win against Tan in FIDE Candidates 2026, Round 7

The tie-up gives the startup immediate access to an existing player base, avoiding the need to build a network from scratch.

Take Take Take’s ⁠move marks a shift for a company that had until now stayed clear of confrontation with Chess.com.

“My first meeting with Chess.com was in 2023… literally the first thing he (CEO and co-founder ‌Erik Allebest) ever said to me was, never enter play and never enter learn. That’s ours. And I found that quite intimidating,” Kristiansen said.

Kristiansen stressed the aim was not necessarily to displace the market leader, arguing the competitive landscape could broaden.

“First of all, our goal is not necessarily to kind of dethrone Chess.com. They are a great product and they’ve done a great amount of things for the chess ecosystem,” he said.

PUSHBACK

Kristiansen stressed that Norwegian Carlsen intends to ‌respect the obligations he has with Chess.com, even if it limits how visibly he can back Take ​Take Take.

“I think also Magnus has tremendous respect for Chess.com and the agreement and is going to honour their agreement, and that’s why he’s pulling out ⁠of … the promotional stuff for us. It’s hard to sort of silence Magnus Carlsen,” he said.

The move ⁠comes as new ventures emerge across the chess ecosystem.

Endgame.ai, promoted by American grandmaster Hans Niemann, is targeting performance and development tools, while ChessMonitor, backed by grandmaster Anish ‌Giri, is focusing on analytics and preparation.

Kristiansen said Take Take Take would try to win users with products rather than personalities and expects Chess.com to respond.

“I don’t expect ​Chess.com to kind of ignore this, and it will certainly come with a reaction on their side,” he said.

Published on Apr 06, 2026

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#Magnus #Carlsens #startup #takes #aim #Chess.com #move #play #learn #tools

The complete NFL schedule for each team was released on Thursday night, and now we have a full picture of how things could shape up. There isn’t a lot when it comes to who “won” with their slate of games outside of favorable bye weeks, or easy opening runs to set up the season — but there are definitely a handful of teams who really got screwed over when it comes to their schedules.

These are the four teams that got an added layer of complexity added to their seasons due to scheduling.

The Cardinals will need to reconcile two opposing aims in 2026: Establishing Mike LaFleur as a winning coach, while also trying to ensure they tank the hell out of the season so they can find their quarterback of the future in the 2027 draft, because lol no, Carson Beck isn’t the answer.

It’s all well and good to say “just tank the year, and give LaFleur a season of grace,” but that’s easier said than done when you’re trying to establish a winning culture inside a locker room. The main issue is that there’s no good place on the Arizona slate where you can find them to at least grab a few wins and prove to themselves that the path is working.

An absolutely brutal run kicks the season off due to playing in the NFC West and getting a rough schedule as a result. Look at this opponent run up to the Week 14 bye: Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Giants, Lions, Rams, Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, Chiefs, Commanders, Eagles. That is just horrific for a team trying to find a way to win. I don’t know what the Cardinals did to deserve having FIVE divisional matchups before their bye.

No. 2: Los Angeles Chargers

The big thing with the Chargers’ slate is how well rested all of their opponents will be heading into their games. This chart really tells the whole story, with Los Angeles having an incredible 24 fewer days of rest over the course of the season compared to their opponents.

Not only this, but the Chargers have a bye week that falls too early in the season. They will be off Week 7, and still have the bulk of their games ahead of them. It’s especially rough when you factor in that the rest of the AFC West got fairly beneficial schedules for 2026 and that adds more difficulty for them.

No. 3: San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers’ have two international games, kicking off in Australia against the Rams, then heading to Mexico City later in the season. That would be difficult enough with irregular travel adding to the challenges of playing in the NFC West, but San Francisco also had a brutal run after their game against the Vikings in Mexico City, which comes at a critical time when they will be eyeing the playoffs.

From Week 13 until the end of the season here are their opponents in order: Seahawks, Giants, Rams, Chargers, Chiefs, Eagles, Cardinals.

The only gimme on the slate is Arizona, with so many tough games coming on the road to the playoffs. It’s incredibly easy to hit a skid, lose confidence, and limp into the playoffs at best. In addition, the 49ers have some brutal travel with their trip to Australia, as well as heading cross-country to New York and Atlanta. Overall this was just a brutal lineup of games.

This has much less to do with the fact that the Bears face the toughest strength of schedule in the NFL, and far more to do with their game scheduling. Across the 17 game regular season we see Chicago play five games in primetime, two with 4:25 p.m. ET kickoffs, and they play on both holidays. This means that over half the season sees Chicago moving around days, slots, and zones — which is really difficult when you’re trying to build routine and consistency.

Obviously, Ben Johnson is the kind of coach who can get solid performances out of his players, but there’s no doubt this is a tricky way to operate in a season with all the pressure of national games, the attention they bring, and changing up preparation from week to week. Throw that in with a tough opponent slate and it might be tricky for the Bears to have as much success this season.

#NFL #teams #royally #screwed #schedule">4 NFL teams who got royally screwed over by the schedule  The complete NFL schedule for each team was released on Thursday night, and now we have a full picture of how things could shape up. There isn’t a lot when it comes to who “won” with their slate of games outside of favorable bye weeks, or easy opening runs to set up the season — but there are definitely a handful of teams who really got screwed over when it comes to their schedules.These are the four teams that got an added layer of complexity added to their seasons due to scheduling.The Cardinals will need to reconcile two opposing aims in 2026: Establishing Mike LaFleur as a winning coach, while also trying to ensure they tank the hell out of the season so they can find their quarterback of the future in the 2027 draft, because lol no, Carson Beck isn’t the answer.It’s all well and good to say “just tank the year, and give LaFleur a season of grace,” but that’s easier said than done when you’re trying to establish a winning culture inside a locker room. The main issue is that there’s no good place on the Arizona slate where you can find them to at least grab a few wins and prove to themselves that the path is working.An absolutely brutal run kicks the season off due to playing in the NFC West and getting a rough schedule as a result. Look at this opponent run up to the Week 14 bye: Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Giants, Lions, Rams, Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, Chiefs, Commanders, Eagles. That is just horrific for a team trying to find a way to win. I don’t know what the Cardinals did to deserve having FIVE divisional matchups before their bye.No. 2: Los Angeles ChargersThe big thing with the Chargers’ slate is how well rested all of their opponents will be heading into their games. This chart really tells the whole story, with Los Angeles having an incredible 24 fewer days of rest over the course of the season compared to their opponents.Not only this, but the Chargers have a bye week that falls too early in the season. They will be off Week 7, and still have the bulk of their games ahead of them. It’s especially rough when you factor in that the rest of the AFC West got fairly beneficial schedules for 2026 and that adds more difficulty for them.No. 3: San Francisco 49ersThe 49ers’ have two international games, kicking off in Australia against the Rams, then heading to Mexico City later in the season. That would be difficult enough with irregular travel adding to the challenges of playing in the NFC West, but San Francisco also had a brutal run after their game against the Vikings in Mexico City, which comes at a critical time when they will be eyeing the playoffs.From Week 13 until the end of the season here are their opponents in order: Seahawks, Giants, Rams, Chargers, Chiefs, Eagles, Cardinals.The only gimme on the slate is Arizona, with so many tough games coming on the road to the playoffs. It’s incredibly easy to hit a skid, lose confidence, and limp into the playoffs at best. In addition, the 49ers have some brutal travel with their trip to Australia, as well as heading cross-country to New York and Atlanta. Overall this was just a brutal lineup of games.This has much less to do with the fact that the Bears face the toughest strength of schedule in the NFL, and far more to do with their game scheduling. Across the 17 game regular season we see Chicago play five games in primetime, two with 4:25 p.m. ET kickoffs, and they play on both holidays. This means that over half the season sees Chicago moving around days, slots, and zones — which is really difficult when you’re trying to build routine and consistency.Obviously, Ben Johnson is the kind of coach who can get solid performances out of his players, but there’s no doubt this is a tricky way to operate in a season with all the pressure of national games, the attention they bring, and changing up preparation from week to week. Throw that in with a tough opponent slate and it might be tricky for the Bears to have as much success this season.  #NFL #teams #royally #screwed #schedule

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