Edit
r/chess is lame...
Removed because we don't allow memes/jokes
God forbid they have something that colors outside the lines.
Edit
r/chess is lame...
Removed because we don't allow memes/jokes
God forbid they have something that colors outside the lines.
Chess is very strange when it comes to who makes money from marketing/promotion. I have no idea about the numbers are but I assume the world champion gets ~95% of the contracts, players in the top 10 get a scrap (here or there) and everybody else gets nearly nothing or nothing at all.
It's a easy tie-in for companies who want to seem "clever" or "smart". And from their perspective - he's probably pretty damn cheap. The same is true for magazines, etc. I bet he's appeared in Vogue at least once or twice.
The WC of chess earns a good slice of the pot from the tournaments they attend, but make a lot more on their personal brand. Books, appearances, autographs etc. Not too many sponsorships in chess that I can think of, it's not nearly high profile enough like other sports.
Of late there's more money coming in for chess pros by way of streaming on Twitch and selling online course packs. YouTube videos too, there's a few chess players making good money there.
But yeah, mostly none of the money in chess comes from playing chess.