Fira Barcelona, at its facilities in L’Hospitalet, hosts today Tuesday (20th), one of the most unique events in the technological and sports calendar of the year: an event organized by the company BETBY that brings together, for the first time in Europe on the same stage, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, two of the great references of contemporary chess. The event, conceived as a strategic activation within the iGaming sector, combines entertainment, innovation and the presence of global figures to strengthen the company’s positioning in the international market.
BETBY, a company that provides technological solutions to manufacturers of video games and sports betting platforms, is present these days at booth 5K20, at the ICE congress, held at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, January 19-21, 2026; it is the global event of the gaming industry, bringing together exhibitors, professionals and regulators to present technological innovations, networking opportunities and the latest market trends. This event, considered the world’s gaming epicenter, offers a full agenda with high-level speakers and specific events for different markets, such as Latin America.
The highlight of the day, at three o’clock in the afternoon, will be a blindfold exhibition game between Carlsen and Nakamura, a format as demanding as it is uncommon even among elite players. In this type of duel, the contenders do not see the board or the pieces, and must mentally reconstruct each position, which turns the game into an extreme exercise of memory, calculation and endurance. The expectation is maximum: both dominate the rapid modalities and are, besides being historical rivals, two of the most influential personalities of modern chess. It so happens that they are the two players ranked at the top of the world ranking: Magnus Carlsen, the first with 2,840 ELO points, and Hikaru Nakamura, the second (2,810).
The meeting will feature the participation of the popularizer Levy Rozman, known worldwide as GothamChess, who will be the main commentator. His direct and pedagogical style will allow the public -both specialized and general- to follow the complexity of the game and understand the strategic decisions of the players in real time. Levy Rozman is the world’s most influential chess commentator: he has millions of followers, including more than 1.3 million on Instagram and, although exact figures vary by platform, he surpassed 7 million subscribers on YouTube in mid-2025.
Beyond the stellar duel, BETBY has designed a program that seeks to connect chess with technological innovation and the future of digital entertainment. The company will present its latest solutions in sports betting, with live demonstrations and sessions dedicated to artificial intelligence applied to predictive analytics. Carlsen, global brand ambassador, will participate in talks on decision-making and competition models throughout the morning, while Nakamura will address the evolution of online chess and the role of digital communities in popularizing the game.
The coincidence of Carlsen, Nakamura and Rozman in the same event in Europe is an unprecedented fact, which has turned the event into a point of attraction for industry professionals, chess fans and attendees of the technology congress being held these days in Barcelona. BETBY hopes that this combination of spectacle and business strategy will set a precedent in the way companies in the iGaming sector interact with the public.
The event will culminate with the expected blindfolded game, conceived as an iconic moment that aims to transcend the field of chess and place BETBY at the center of the international conversation on innovation, sport and digital entertainment. An ambitious bet that seeks to leave a mark both in the industry and in the memory of the attendees.
