Magnus Carlsen Wins Inaugural Esports World Cup Chess Tournament
- Sagar Mankar
- Aug 3
- 2 min read
Magnus Carlsen has claimed victory in the first-ever online chess competition at the Esports World Cup, securing a $250,000 payday and reaffirming his status as the world’s top chess grandmaster.
The Esports World Cup (EWC), currently being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is one of the largest competitive gaming events in the world, with a staggering $70 million prize pool spread across 25 titles.
While most of the attention often goes to games like Call of Duty, League of Legends, or Street Fighter, this year’s inclusion of chess marked a bold and somewhat debated shift. Despite the debate, organizers defended the decision by pointing to chess's long-standing online popularity and global reach.
Carlsen, now 34, outplayed his rivals through a multi-stage format that began with group rounds and culminated in a tense playoff bracket. In the final match, he defeated world No. 8 Alireza Firouzja, adding yet another accolade to his already stacked resume.
The event was staged in true esports fashion — with players seated at computers in front of a live audience, wearing heart-rate monitors, and surrounded by LED-lit screens and sponsor branding. It was chess, but reimagined for the digital era.
Carlsen wasn’t alone in the spotlight. Several other elite players participated, including Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Fabiano Caruana.
The total prize pool for the chess category reached $1.5 million, with all 16 participants walking away with sizable payouts. Here’s how the top placements broke down:
1st: Magnus Carlsen – $250,000
2nd: Alireza Firouzja – $190,000
3rd: Hikaru Nakamura – $145,000
4th: Arjun Erigaisi – $115,000
5th–8th: Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nihal Sarin, Levon Aronian – $85,000 each
9th–12th: Andrey Esipenko, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Wei Yi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda – $65,000 each
13th–16th: Vladislav Artemiev, Anish Giri, Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana – $50,000 each
Reflecting on his EWC experience, Carlsen described the tournament as “an amazing show” and expressed hopes for chess to be featured even more prominently in future esports events. “Maybe we can get on a bigger stage next time,” he added.
According to ChessWatchCom, the finale's viewership peaked at over 254,000, marking the second-best rating in 2025 so far. Overall Viewership Metrics:
Peak Viewers: 254,003
Average Viewers: 96,252
Total Hours Watched: 2,847,427
Total Airtime: 29 hours and 35 minutes.
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