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 likely one of the greatest multi-discipline tournaments in aggressive skilled gaming.
The inclusion of chess on this 12 months’s schedule was considerably controversial, however the match’s organisers argued it counted as an esport as it’s performed by hundreds of 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 all over the world 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 12 months 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 pc on a stage in entrance of a dwell viewers, carrying heart-rate displays. Very like with conventional sport, there are massive screens, massive title sponsors and commentators.
Various 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 is not any stranger to embracing modernity within the recreation. Final 12 months, he stated he would return to a significant chess competitors after the game’s governing physique agreed to chill out its costume 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 taking part in whereas carrying denims.
“It has been a tremendous present, not like something that I’ve seen up to now,” stated Carlsen after lifting the gold-plated EWC trophy.
“I actually hope that it is a massive a part of the long run for chess.
“Perhaps we are able to get on an even bigger stage subsequent time,” he added because it had proved well-liked on the match.
