Chess set to make a move at Esports World Cup
The 40-year-old from Portugal, however, will not be the only icon present at the SEF Arena where the best competitors from the realm of esports will gather. Also present will be a certain Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Arjun Erigaisi as chess makes its debut as an event.
'There was a little bit of surprise,' said Mike McCabe, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Esports World Cup Foundation, the event organisers, in an interview with HT. 'The overwhelming response has been incredibly positive. And now it's gone from that positive sentiment to a lot of excitement as to seeing something different and being able to engage with it.'
To be played in the rapid format, chess will be contested between 16 teams represented by one player each. The turnout from the chess community has been enthusiastic, with four of the world's top five taking part. The prize pool for the chess event alone is a whopping $1.5 million.
Overall, the 25 tournaments across the 24 different games – such as Valorant, DOTA 2, League of Legends, Street Fighter and more – have an aggregate prize purse of $70 million at the World Cup that starts on Monday and continues for seven weeks.
But with a roster of games wholly modern, chess, invented over 1500 years ago, stands as an anomaly. The online version though, which enjoyed a boom during the pandemic, gives it a footing in Esports.
'There was a digital renaissance and more and more people engaging with chess online during the lockdown. And we saw that more broadly across the entire sector,' said McCabe. 'Those really intense 10-minute games (rapid) is something that's really there. I think, coupled with Grandmasters as superstar influencers now has also helped us because there's been more than just the matches which has drawn people into the community.'
The inclusion of chess also marries the new world of gaming with an ancient craft. But McCabe asserted that for all of Esports' popularity, chess adds a great deal of value to the upcoming World Cup.
'Honestly, it's us catching up with chess and the chess community and really Esports being part of that and the gaming community,' he said.
Already, India is a growing market for gaming. But chess being a part of the Esports World Cup can open another avenue for Indian players.
'I understand five of the best chess players in the world are from India,' said McCabe. 'And so, there's a really strong representation there, that the best athletes in the world for that particular sport are already from India. That gives India a head start from this discipline.
'As for other games, we're starting to see other sports, other games really gather pace in India as well. I think it's only a matter of time before we start to see some other top Esports athletes coming out of India.'
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