Freedom Holding Corp. announced the acquisition of ChessBase, the world’s leading chess software and analytics platform, for an estimated €5 million. The deal keeps ChessBase’s headquarters in Hamburg and retains its core team, with no layoffs planned.
The purchase expands Freedom’s SuperApp ecosystem, which already serves more than five million users across 21 countries. By embedding ChessBase’s AI‑powered analytics and content into the SuperApp, Freedom aims to create new cross‑sell opportunities and deepen engagement across its banking, brokerage, insurance, and telecom services.
Freedom’s operating cash flow of $1.73 billion for the nine months ended December 31 2025 provides a comfortable cushion for the €5 million outlay. The SuperApp’s user base has grown to over 11 million ecosystem clients, underscoring the company’s momentum in the digital‑experience market.
CEO Timur Turlov said, “ChessBase is an exceptionally strong brand with a rich history and, arguably, one of the most important projects for the global chess community. Together with the team that created the platform and continues to run it, we believe we can make substantial progress in modernizing the service, enriching its functionality through artificial intelligence, and integrating it into our digital ecosystem through SuperApp.” He added, “I believe this partnership will strengthen ChessBase’s position not only among professional chess players, but will also open up new opportunities by giving our clients direct access, with more than 11 million clients across the group in more than 20 countries.”
ChessBase, founded in 1986, is a leader in chess software, databases, news, and an online server. The acquisition will allow Freedom to modernize the platform, adding AI features and expanding its technological architecture, in line with the company’s broader AI strategy and partnership with NVIDIA and OpenAI.
The €5 million purchase price is modest relative to Freedom’s cash flow and aligns with its strategy of building a comprehensive super‑app ecosystem that leverages cross‑sell synergies. The company plans to invest further in ChessBase’s technology stack, positioning the combined entity to capture a larger share of the digital‑experience economy in Kazakhstan and beyond.
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