'New ground conquered': World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen after winning inaugural Esports Chess World Cup title
has added yet another accolade to his storied career, this time in an entirely new arena.
The five-time world champion clinched the inaugural Esports Chess World Cup title, representing Team Liquid in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Carlsen, 34, pocketed $250,000 in prize money and described the experience as 'an absolute thrill and joy from start to finish.'
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Carlsen declared, "New ground conquered, it's been an absolute thrill and joy from start to finish," signalling the growing fusion of traditional board games with modern competitive esports.
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The Esports World Cup (EWC), one of the largest multi-game tournaments globally, featured chess for the first time this year, alongside titles like Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Street Fighter.
While the decision to include chess in an esports setting initially sparked debate, organisers defended it by highlighting chess's vast global digital footprint.
Carlsen's path to the title wasn't without competition.
Several elite grandmasters participated, and the format, involving group stages and playoffs, brought a fresh twist to the classic game. In the final, Carlsen overcame world number eight Alireza Firouzja, once again demonstrating his dominance even outside traditional tournament formats.
Competitors played live on stage, seated at computers, wearing heart-rate monitors, and surrounded by fans, sponsors, and commentary, a stark contrast to the quiet halls of classical chess tournaments.
Carlsen, who has long championed modernising the sport, welcomed the experience: 'It's been an amazing show, unlike anything I've seen so far... I hope this is a big part of the future of chess.'
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