Chess-Carlsen claims first Esports World Cup title
FILE PHOTO: Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen reacts ahead of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris, France, April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen won the inaugural Esports World Cup chess tournament on Friday, defeating Alireza Firouzja in Riyadh.
World number one Carlsen claimed the $250,000 top prize and saw his Team Liquid sneak ahead in the overall championship after his win over Firouzja.
The prize pool of the tournament was $1.5 million.
"It's been an amazing show, unlike anything I've ever seen," Carlsen said just before lifting the trophy on stage, with pyrotechnics lighting up behind him.
The inclusion of the centuries-old board game in the esports tournament comes after it experienced a significant revival during the pandemic. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Brazil beat Colombia in shootout in Women's Copa America final thriller
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox QUITO - Brazil successfully defended their Women's Copa America crown by defeating Colombia 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday to claim their ninth continental title after a roller-coaster final in Quito ended 4-4. The decider at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado saw Colombia take the lead three times, only for Brazil to respond on each occasion. Brazil great Marta forced extra time with a late equaliser and the veteran struck again in the 105th minute to seemingly seal victory. But a resilient Colombia found yet another equaliser to send the encounter to penalties, where Brazil's experience ultimately prevailed. "I think women's soccer has been growing a lot. I think the trend is for it to be more competitive. Everyone here deserved a match like this. Congratulations to Colombia too," Brazil's Amanda Gutierres said. "This means a lot. I think it's Brazil's job. It's that mentality of never giving up. That's a source of pride for Brazil. I think it means a lot to Brazilians." Both teams created early chances but the breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Colombia's Linda Caicedo capped off a tidy passing move with a composed low finish from close range. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Despite bag checks and warnings, young partygoers continue to vape in clubs in Singapore Singapore Ong Beng Seng to plead guilty on Aug 4, more than 2 years after trip to Qatar with Iswaran Singapore LTA, Singapore bus operators reviewing Malaysia's request to start services from JB at 4am Singapore NDP 2025: Veteran Red Lion says each leap 'feels like 5km run' Business Decoupling to save on tax? You may lose right to property if ties go awry Singapore We're in the business of giving everyone a superpower: CEO of shared e-scooter provider Neuron Mobility Opinion At UN's Wipo, Singaporean Daren Tang strives to create an equal music for haves and have-nots Asia Mass grave with over 100 skeletons in Sri Lanka brings up old wounds Brazil got the equaliser in the dying moments of the first half when Angelina stepped up to calmly convert a penalty after VAR confirmed a foul by Jorelyn Carabali on Gio Garbelini. Colombia regained the lead in the 69th minute via a Brazil own goal, defender Tarciane attempting a routine back pass to goalkeeper Lorena but unaware that she had already charged off her line to collect the ball. Gutierres equalised for Brazil again 10 minutes from time with her sixth goal in the tournament, a fierce strike off Garbelini's pass, but striker Mayra Ramirez restored Colombia's lead by netting after a quick counter-attack eight minutes later. 'Las Cafeteras' were within touching distance of their first continental title until Marta, introduced as a late substitute, delivered a moment of magic with a stunning equaliser six minutes into stoppage time, forcing the game into extra time. Marta struck again in the 105th minute when she tapped in a fine cross from Angelina but Colombia turned things around again as Leicy Santos' brilliant free kick sailed into the top corner in the 115th minute. The penalty shootout mirrored the drama of the match, with Colombia taking the early advantage after Angelina's miss. However, when Manuela Pavi failed to convert and goalkeeper Lorena saved Leicy Santos' effort Brazil held the advantage. Marta had the chance to seal victory but Katherine Tapia's save sent the shootout to sudden death, where Carabali's miss finally handed Brazil their ninth continental title. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Mboko stuns top seed Gauff to reach Canadian Open quarters
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko earned the biggest win of her career on Saturday, beating top seed Coco Gauff 6-1 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open in Montreal. Mboko dropped her racket and covered her face in disbelief as the packed crowd leapt to their feet after the 18-year-old tournament wild card sealed the victory in just over an hour. "Thank you, you helped me so much," she told the home crowd in French during an on-court interview. She called her first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 event "incredible," especially after toppling reigning French Open champion Gauff. Mboko was helped along the way by her error-prone opponent, who never found her rhythm on serve and failed to convert any of her five break point opportunities. Gauff's sixth double fault set up match point, which Mboko converted when the American's backhand slice drifted into the net. Despite her disappointment, Gauff hugged Mboko at the net and will look to regroup as she prepares to make a run at a second U.S. Open crown next month. Mboko will face either Lin Zhu of China or Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro - both unseeded players - in the quarters. Earlier, ninth seed Elena Rybakina edged Dayana Yastremska 5-7 6-2 7-5 in their fourth-round battle and will next face another Ukrainian, 24th seed Marta Kostyuk, who came from behind to take out American McCartney Kessler 5-7 6-3 6-3. On the men's side of the tournament, which is being held in Toronto, 20-year-old Alex Michelsen reached his first quarterfinal of a Masters 1000 event with a 6-3 6-3 win over fellow American Learner Tien. "It feels really good," Michelsen said. "It's uncharted territory from this point on, and I'm super happy to be in the quarters for the first time." Michelsen, seeded 26th, will face hard-hitting 11th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, who upset eighth seed Casper Ruud in their fourth round match 6-4 7-5. Khachanov, who has twice reached the semifinals of the tournament, lost to Michelsen in their only prior meeting. Alex de Minaur, who triumphed at last month's Washington Open, advanced to the quarterfinals over fellow Australian Christopher O'Connell via walkover. Ninth seed De Minaur will next face seventh-seeded American Frances Tiafoe. Top seed Alexander Zverev was set to take on Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the night session. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
NDP 2025: Veteran Red Lion says each leap ‘feels like 5km run'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – After executing a perfect landing on a large open field in Bishan, Red Lion Leonard Tan was drenched from head to toe. When asked if he was soaked because he went through clouds while free-falling through the sky, Master Warrant Officer Tan said: 'Most of it is sweat. The stress and fatigue level of one jump is equivalent to a 5km run. Mentally and physically, I feel like I just ran 5km.' MWO Tan was speaking exclusively to The Straits Times on July 30 after a practice jump in Bishan. He is one of seven Red Lions taking part in the 2025 National Day heartland celebrations, and will jump from about 1,830m and land at the open field beside Junction 8 in Bishan at 4pm on Aug 10. Despite being the most experienced Red Lion this year, with the highest number of jumps – 3,020 jumps over a 25-year career – MWO Tan, 48, said he reminds himself to never be complacent and to always keep focused on the jump ahead. 'The jump itself is around six minutes, but we have to prepare ourselves for around six hours. A lot goes behind the scenes,' he said. Training is key, and preparation for the Aug 10 jump began as early as April. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY For instance, to prepare for the 9.15am jump on July 30, MWO Tan woke up at 3am. 'I had a small bite, attended several safety briefs and returned to our base camp to prepare our equipment. Then we headed to the airbase to coordinate with the pilots on how our jumps will be,' he said. 'In the aircraft, I would visualise how I would exit the plane and execute the canopy moves, all the way until I landed. 'So by the time I land, I would always feel a lot of relief because of the humongous amount of stress there was before jumping out of the aircraft,' he added. Before each jump, everything from wind speed to the amount of clouds in the sky are monitored to ensure the safety of the Red Lions. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Before each jump, everything from wind speed to the amount of clouds in the sky are monitored to ensure the safety of the Red Lions. For instance, for display jumps, surface winds cannot exceed 13 knots (24kmh), which is classified as a moderate breeze on the Beaufort scale. Visibility is another factor. MWO Tan said: 'When we are on board the plane and can't see the show arena or the landing spot due to clouds, the plane will make another round... If we still can't see the arena, we will call off the jump.' Training is also key, and preparation for the Aug 10 jump began as early as April. 'Due to limited airspace in Singapore, the Red Lions pivot to high-intensity training in Thailand for about three weeks to rehearse the display routines. It takes at least 30 jumps to prepare for an event like this,' said MWO Tan. A childhood dream All preparations now, no matter how tough, feel worthwhile to MWO Tan, who has dreamt about being a Red Lion since he was a boy. 'It's been a childhood aspiration of mine. When I was young, I lived in Bedok, and from my HDB flat, I could see the horizon above Bedok Reservoir. At times, I would see an aircraft flying over the horizon and it looked like it was (pooping), but it was actually a parachutist jumping from the rear of the aircraft,' he said, with a laugh. 'I was very curious (about) what that was, and my parents told me that those were army parachutists doing their training. That really struck me, and inspired me to want to be a parachutist,' added MWO Tan. Eventually, he made the cut in 2000. But his first jump as a Red Lion did not go according to plan. Smiling sheepishly as he recalled his first jump, MWO Tan said: 'It was not a very positive jump because I didn't pull my parachute. So I was actually tumbling all the way from the aircraft. 'Luckily, there was (an) automatic activation device that activated my parachute. When I landed, I got a warning letter, and I was nearly out.' It taught him a valuable lesson 'to be more consistent and not to be complacent, especially since parachuting is not for the faint-hearted'. 'It is a bit of a risky sport if you do not know what to do, so we need to be very sure of our drills and prepare ourselves well.' Since then, MWO Tan has made more than 3,000 jumps, with National Day 2025 marking his 10th display jump to celebrate the nation's birthday. One of his most memorable jumps was in 2006, when he landed at the former National Stadium in Kallang. 'It was iconic to me because the old National Stadium was shaped like a bowl. So in the air, it acts like a speaker and amplifies the crowd cheering. Even at 3,000 feet (914m) high, I could hear Gurmit Singh speaking as the emcee. I thought, wow, I'm so high but I can still hear the crowd, and that struck me – to do an even better show for the nation,' MWO Tan said. The jump on Aug 10 will be MWO Tan's first at a heartland event. The jump on Aug 10 will be MWO Leonard Tan's first jump at a heartland event. PHOTO: NDP 2025 EXCO 'In the heartland, you get closer to the audience, which is something I look forward to,' he said. Despite being so experienced, each jump for MWO Tan is still as exciting as the first. 'I enjoy every single jump, from the first to the last. I anticipate myself to be making another 1,000 jumps,' he said. When asked what Singapore looks like from above the clouds, MWO Tan said: 'You can see the whole of Singapore from 10,000 feet (3,048m). It is a priceless feeling and, at times, even tearful because when I jump out, it brings back memories of where my roots are. I feel very appreciative of the people who brought me up to where I am today. 'So to me, whenever I jump out, the feeling is always the same. It is like jumping back home.'
