Arsenal and England playmaker Eberechi Eze goes head-to-head against none other than GM Magnus Carlsen in a new ad for clothing brand New Balance. In a surprise twist, the world number-one gets checkmated!
The campaign, promoting New Balance’s latest boot Furon V8—”crafted for speed, tested at every level”—plays on the theme of fast thinking, bringing together two figures known for their creativity and decision-making in very different arenas.
The 27-year-old England international has become one of the most high-profile chess fans in football since stunning the chess world by winning PogChamps 6, Chess.com’s celebrity tournament, which became one of the most-watched events of 2025.
But when he is not scoring goals for an Arsenal side that is currently pushing for a Premier League title, he also spends time speaking about his love for chess. In November, he visited his old school to meet young fans and to launch a chess initiative in partnership with Chess.com.
Now, he has taken that passion a step further by appearing in an ad for footwear brand New Balance, alongside the world number-one. The advert was shared to Eze’s Instagram account, which has 2.7 million followers, and also on various accounts on X.
Eberechi Eze, Magnus Carlsen, New Balance. We are seated ♟️ pic.twitter.com/UINpaQje4B
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) March 9, 2026
The clip opens with Eze, playing with the white pieces, shaking hands with a black-suited Carlsen, before the game begins.
As the game unfolds, moves are exchanged at a rapid pace, making it difficult to follow the exact position. However, in the closing moments, Eze is seen grinning as he slides his rook to the eighth rank, seemingly delivering checkmate.
The Norwegian responds to defeat by knocking over his pieces, a moment that may reference his infamous table slam following his defeat against GM Gukesh Dommaraju at Norway Chess.
“Chess, for me, trains patterns in your mind. It helps you to think ahead. You’re training the way you think, trying to improve and trying to become better and work out different ways of winning games. For me, it’s self-improvement,” Eze said in an interview with YouTube channel Men in Blazers, where he discussed the collaboration.
The advert was also shared by IM Levy Rozman, better known as GothamChess.
Eze has previously appeared in a video playing blitz with Rozman. The soccer star was also present during this year’s Speed Chess Championship Finals in London in February, playing blitz against now 11-year-old prodigy WIM Bodhana Sivanandan.
It’s unlikely this will be the last time the chess world sees the footballer.