Magnus Carlsen Wins First Chess Esports World Cup

[{"selector":"#anim-05154723-f78c-4dde-855b-150ed814b252","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-21395004-3fdd-4bda-88b8-e11cfd6b1352","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 162.26051%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fd1bd304-6125-4d57-ac8c-42dcbd0d8c96","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-16a21ed4-3b5f-4bc2-83a9-414e09595b17","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 188.65495%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] For the first time ever, chess was included in the Esports World Cup 2025 held in Riyadh, alongside games like Valorant and Dota 2.

Magnus Carlsen served as the global ambassador for the chess event and joined Team Liquid, helping bring traditional chess into modern esports.

[{"selector":"#anim-b71bc1b3-2d66-487f-ba43-e8e09f4e05c0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-66ffbcd6-043f-4586-9434-df783e09038e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 126.01307%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-05732d2f-1054-43ac-89cd-fb5459cc7c48","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c215598b-c4bb-45ff-a032-e5f37b800441","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 149.02462%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

[{"selector":"#anim-f2b39db1-ba18-4a0b-92a3-fd440bcff69c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d4113e1f-3e11-4fd5-a1e8-48485341b773","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 134.52077%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-097c55fe-bdd6-4369-8f6c-251c0d391eb6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e5790f30-b2ba-4843-bc29-63c9a4e7aa78","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 143.04392%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Carlsen qualified via the Champions Chess Tour, topping his group and advancing through intense matches against Abdusattorov, Duda, Firouzja, and Nakamura.

In the inaugural chess final, Carlsen defeated Alireza Firouzja to win the championship and claim a $250,000 prize.

[{"selector":"#anim-96f3105c-5d04-482e-8fdc-d66720926b7d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5cd37041-4a53-4803-b385-4a366c8d0dab","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 149.37278%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6bff0000-eb3d-481a-adaf-4825895739d5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8cc60268-e50c-449f-affd-28f6e66e1214","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 162.02024%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

His victory crowned him the first-ever Chess Esports World Cup champion—boosting Team Liquid's standing in the overall EWC leaderboard.

[{"selector":"#anim-702b0a68-6787-49a3-b37a-8b56a7eeb131","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6175e219-5b4b-4fac-b2de-82173e931b1e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 127.41705%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ef9ed979-61c2-4544-8338-ad6256e45277","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e7ef3096-77d4-48cf-b282-1989af5004d0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 139.57831%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The chess tournament had a total $1.5M prize pool, highlighting the growing popularity of online chess in the esports ecosystem.

[{"selector":"#anim-c9380f60-8420-4299-8c15-09a51a2cfeb3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-42b07049-2cfd-4cff-b0bc-3a565bebe1b6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 134.69225%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5d0f2b13-fc16-488c-bb50-460ed5200023","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-01bdd8aa-333b-45fa-9c57-1571b0ac9705","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 155.44973%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Carlsen called it “new ground conquered,” describing the event as unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

[{"selector":"#anim-3cce9573-9c68-4866-be47-ec340c3b4fd4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2db95ebf-2877-45b9-befc-2dcfc44d28b6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 134.69225%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-27d3f25f-657c-4e61-b65e-0814ca7efdbc","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d90523d7-425d-418f-9e87-67fd8bb590a9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 149.76661%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Chess joining the 2025 Esports World Cup marks a milestone—bridging decades‑old tradition with the digital future of competitive gaming.

[{"selector":"#anim-05d5be2d-5611-484c-8010-51c30ea6ec7f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-13ee25d7-e297-42a4-a991-103792e517b8","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 113.46802%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-83bf4169-acd9-4777-8f44-0ae7e6c99a6a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-610b68c9-7b1a-42e1-b892-cc2db75550db","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 120.95452%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]