Number one grandmaster, Magnus Carlsen, has won the inaugural online chess competition at the Esports World Cup. The 34-year-old Norwegian will take home $250,000 (around £188,000).
The Esports World Cup (EWC) being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest multi-discipline tournaments in competitive professional gaming.
The inclusion of chess in this year’s schedule was somewhat controversial, but the tournament’s organisers argued it counted as an esport as it is played by millions of people of all ages.
This is the second time the EWC has been staged and it comes with a total prize pot of around $70m (£50m).
Over a period of seven weeks, teams from around the world compete across 25 popular games, including Call of Duty, Street Fighter and League of Legends.
The EWC said including chess this year has seen the game reach a “new milestone”, 139 years after the first World Chess Champion was crowned.
At the Esports world cup, competitors sit at their computer on a stage in front of a live audience, wearing heart-rate monitors. Much like with traditional sport, there are large screens, big name sponsors and commentators.
A number of grandmasters took part in the online competition, which saw players go through a group stage before the top-scorers made it to the playoffs.
It was the world’s best traditional chess player who cinched the title, after beating number eight Alireza Firouzja.
Carlsen is no stranger to embracing modernity in the game. Last year, he said he would return to a major chess competition after the sport’s governing body agreed to relax its dress code.
Carlsen had quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York, where he was defending his title, when he was told he could not continue playing while wearing jeans.
“It’s been an amazing show, unlike anything that I’ve seen so far,” said Carlsen after lifting the gold-plated EWC trophy.
“I really hope that this is a big part of the future for chess.
“Maybe we can get on a bigger stage next time,” he added as it had proved popular at the tournament.
