Primary grandmaster, Magnus Carlsen, has gained 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 thousands and thousands 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 well-liked video games, together with Name of Responsibility, Avenue Fighter and League of Legends.
The EWC stated 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, opponents sit at their laptop on a stage in entrance of a reside viewers, sporting heart-rate screens. Very similar to with conventional sport, there are giant screens, huge identify sponsors and commentators.
Plenty of grandmasters took half within the on-line competitors, which noticed gamers undergo a gaggle stage earlier than the top-scorers made it to the playoffs.
It was the world’s finest conventional chess participant who cinched the title, after beating quantity eight Alireza Firouzja.
Carlsen isn’t any stranger to embracing modernity within the embracing modernity in the game. Final yr, stated he would return to a significant chess competitors after the game’s governing physique agreed to relax its dress code.
Carlsen had give up the World Speedy and Blitz Chess Championships in New York, the place he was defending his title, when he was informed he couldn’t proceed enjoying whereas sporting denims.
“It has been an incredible present, not like something that I’ve seen thus far,” stated Carlsen after lifting the EWC trophy, a gold colored plate.
“I actually hope that it is a huge a part of the long run for chess.
“Possibly we will get on a much bigger stage subsequent time,” he added because it had proved well-liked on the event.
