Primary grandmaster, Magnus Carlsen, has received the inaugural on-line chess competitors on the Esports World Cup. The 34-year-old Norwegian will take residence $250,000 (round £188,000).
The Esports World Cup (EWC) being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is without doubt one of the largest multi-discipline tournaments in aggressive skilled gaming.
The inclusion of chess on this yr’s schedule was considerably controversial, however the event’s organisers argued it counted as an esport as it’s performed by tens of millions of individuals of all ages.
That is the second time the EWC has been staged and it comes with a complete prize pot of round $70m (£50m).
Over a interval of seven weeks, groups from world wide compete throughout 25 widespread video games, together with Name of Obligation, Avenue Fighter and League of Legends.
The EWC mentioned together with chess this yr has seen the sport attain a “new milestone”, 139 years after the primary World Chess Champion was topped.
On the Esports world cup, rivals sit at their laptop on a stage in entrance of a dwell viewers, sporting heart-rate screens. Very like with conventional sport, there are giant screens, huge title sponsors and commentators.
Plenty of grandmasters took half within the on-line competitors, which noticed gamers undergo a bunch stage earlier than the top-scorers made it to the playoffs.
It was the world’s greatest conventional chess participant who cinched the title, after beating quantity eight Alireza Firouzja.
Carlsen isn’t any stranger to embracing modernity within the recreation. Final yr, he mentioned he would return to a significant chess competitors after the game’s governing physique agreed to loosen up its gown code.
Carlsen had give up the World Fast and Blitz Chess Championships in New York, the place he was defending his title, when he was instructed he couldn’t proceed enjoying whereas sporting denims.
“It has been an incredible present, not like something that I’ve seen up to now,” mentioned Carlsen after lifting the gold-plated EWC trophy.
“I actually hope that it is a huge a part of the long run for chess.
“Perhaps we will get on an even bigger stage subsequent time,” he added because it had proved widespread on the event.
