Move For Equality - Ailton Henriques

MOVE FOR EQUALITY

Role: Concept & Art Direction
Agency: BBDO Germany
Client: Unesco

↳ No matter how the world has changed. Skin color is still defining privileges one might have in life. To send a strong message in the on-going fight for a more fair society, we decided to break a rule in one of the most traditional sports there is chess. The first-move advantage rule, which attests that “white always starts.”

To make it happen, the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities (ICCAR) by UNESCO recruited chess legends Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri to do a symbolic game with the rule broken.

Social media was the primary channel used for the campaign. On March 21st, the international day to eliminate racial discrimination, Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri posted the event on their social media under the hashtag #MoveForEquality.

21.03.19

Breaking a rule in chess
to change behavior in life.

The Move

↳ For one brief hour, Magnus and Anish put their rivalry aside to play a symbolic game that could truly make a difference. Watch the video below to see the symbolic move they made today. The game itself had no single winner. Because this should be a victory for anyone who dreams about a more equal world.

A Mission to Change a 139 Years Rule in Chess

↳ On PlayMagnus, one of the biggest chess apps, users around the world could play with black starting. A 12-hours Twitch live stream featured other professional players competing with random users with black starting. Inspired by the message and engaged by the subject, more and more people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and international media shared our message.

A Place in History

↳ A few weeks after the event, the Max Euwe Chess Museum in Amsterdam – the biggest in Europe – requested the very same pawn that moved first to be a part of the permanent collection.

The
Campaign Website

↳ Besides the hashtag, the posts also directed viewers to the website, where all the information about the campaign and what to do about it was hosted. The move was also replicated in other channels, like the Play Magnus chess app, one of the biggest in the market, not to mention a 12-hour live featuring other professional players playing random users with black starting.

WASHINGTON TIMES

"In anti-racist statement, chess champs let Black move first"

CHESS.COM

"Whereas Carlsen and Giri are rivals at the chessboard and on Twitter, where they have fought quite a few verbal battles, it is great to see them joining forces for a good cause."

THE ECONOMIC TIMES

"A new gambit counters colour-coded racism prevalent in the real world."

BRAINSTORM 9

"Em manifestação contra discriminação racial, mestres do xadrez quebram regra fundamental do jogo"

AD AGE

"Chess grandmasters break the rules to call attention to racial discrimination"

👉🏾

👈🏾

Awards

Credits

CCO
Till Diestel

Creative Managing Director
Kristoffer Heilemann

Managing Director
Cornelius Kölblin

Creative Directors
Rod Henriques
Michael Pluckhahn

Senior Art Director
Ailton Henriques 👋

Senior Copywriter
Guilherme Nesti

Junior Art Director
Anina Waesche

Junior Copywriter
Henrik van Laak

Client Service Director
Simon Stitzl

Digital Account Executive
Jan Kronies

Head of Strategic Planning
Ralf Sieke

Creative Technologist
Martin Boeing-Messing

PR Agency
Emanate

Photographer
Jan Kronies

CGI/Post-Production
Fuze Image

Fuze Image
Creative Directors
Daniel Klock
Marcio Bueno

Head of Post-Production
Cauê Andrade

3D Generalist
Leandro Mendonça

Credits

Production Company
CraftWork

Music/Sound Company
DaHouse Audio

Editor
Juhn Kim
Nico Schlegel
Guilherme Nesti
Ailton Henriques

Motion
Jens Wirtzfeld

CraftWork
Chief Production Officer
Steffen Gentis

Producer
Michael Hahn
Sabine Bönigk

Audio Production House
Studio Funk

Studio Funk
Managing Director
Tobias Grumbach

Sound Engineer
Marco Manzo

Audio Producer
Claudia Jahn

Camera Department
Kamera

Kamera
Camera Operator / Gaffer
Jorgen Werner

Camera Operator Assistant
Lars Pettersen

Chief Technician
Fabian Lopez