Top chess player Magnus Carlsen forced into draw in historic game against over 134,000 people

Australia Broadcast Center

20-05-2025

World's top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen has been forced into a draw in an unprecedented game where he played against more than 143,000 people from around the globe.
According to chess.com — the world's largest chess website — the Magnus Carlsen vs The World match, launched on April 4, is the first-ever online Freestyle Chess match of its kind against the former world champion.
This is also the first time Carlsen has played a match against the general public.
The mega-match ended after Team World checked Carlsen's king a third time despite the chess website's prediction that Carlsen would win by a wide margin.
Team World forced the draw on move 32 after checking Carlsen's king three times in the corner of the board, where it could not escape.
The rule is called "threefold repetition," meaning that all the pieces on the board are in the exact same position three times, which prompts a draw.
In a Vote Chess match, according to Chess.com, instead of a single player deciding on the next move, a group of individuals vote on the next move.
The game proceeds with the move that got the most votes by the end of the voting period.
During the game, Carlsen played by himself with the white pieces. This means that Carlsen alone would determine all the moves that he would play.
The community would play with the black pieces and vote on each move. At the end of each 24-hour voting period, the move that won the most votes would be played.
A group of well-known coaches also provided the community with assistance, such as offering analysis of the game and explaining the ins and outs of every position through the Vote Chess chat.
Sam Copeland, Head of Community at Chess.com, said this was a great moment and milestone for the chess world.
"It's incredible to see 100,000 chess players have the opportunity to compete against the greatest chess player of all time—passionately debating moves and ideas, strategising, and trying to guess what Magnus will play next.
"We are also excited to see this battle take place in Freestyle Chess, a format which allows for the greatest freedom and creativity for the players and a format for which Magnus has long advocated," he said.
This isn't the first time Carlsen has faced the world, according to Chess.com.
In 2002, at just 11 years old, the Norwegian chess grandmaster drew after 31 moves in a match hosted by online newspaper Nettavisen.
The game attracted nearly 300,000 Norwegians online, and more than 20,000 move votes.
In 2014, as reigning world champion, Carlsen checkmated the nation in 34 moves during a prime-time match on NRK, Norway's largest broadcaster.
The 34-year-old became the world's top-ranked player in 2010 at the age of 19 and has won five World Championships. He achieved the highest-ever chess rating of 2882 in 2014 and has remained the undisputed world number one for more than a decade.
"Overall, 'the world' has played very, very sound chess from the start," Carlsen said.
"Maybe not going for most enterprising options, but kind of keeping it more in vein with normal chess — which isn't always the best strategy, but it worked out well this time."
In a freestyle match, the bishops, knights, rooks, queen and king are randomly placed around the board at the start while the pawns are in their usual spots.
Freestyle chess is popular because it allows players to be more creative and avoid memorisation, Chess.com's website said.
Carlsen's historic online match was the third "vs The World" record-setting game, according to Chess.com.
In 1999, more than 50,000 players joined forces to play against the legendary Russian former world champion Garry Kasparov. At the time, the match broke the record and made headlines as the largest chess match in history.
Last year, Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand won his "vs The World" match against nearly 70,000 players on Chess.com.
According to the Associated Press, in a virtual chat on Chess.com this week, the team world appeared divided on whether to force a draw — and claim the glory — or to continue playing against Carlsen, even if it ultimately meant a loss.
"Don't Draw! Let's keep playing Magnus," one user wrote. "This is an opportunity that won't come along again. I'd rather play the Master all the way to the end and see if we can battle it out another 20 or 30 moves! Let's have some FUN!!!"
Another added: "Thanks Magnus for such a great game. We made history."
ABC/AP