February's esports landscape saw a seismic shift with top chess grandmasters signing with major esports organizations. Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Ding Liren are poised to compete alongside established esports professionals at the Esports World Cup (EWC).
Table of Contents
- Why the Chess Player Recruitment?
- Who Signed Where?
- Magnus Carlsen
- Ian Nepomniachtchi
- Ding Liren
- Fabiano Caruana
- Hikaru Nakamura
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
- Volodar Murzin
- Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Alexander Botnik
Image: x.com
Why the Chess Player Recruitment?
The driving force behind these signings is simple: chess's 2025 debut as an official EWC discipline in Riyadh, boasting a $1.5 million prize pool. The EWC, held annually in Saudi Arabia, has expanded significantly from its initial five disciplines (Dota 2, PUBG, Rocket League, FIFA, and CS:GO) to encompass 25. Saudi Arabia's ambitious goal is to become the global esports hub by 2030.
The EWC, scheduled for June-August 2025, offers a massive $60 million prize pool. Teams earn points based on top-eight finishes across all disciplines, aiming for overall victory. To maximize their chances, teams are strategically securing talent across the board, including chess.
Who Signed Where?
Magnus Carlsen
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- Team: Team Liquid
- FIDE Ranking: 1
- The 16-time World Champion joined Team Liquid, excited to be part of a leading esports organization. Team Liquid's Co-CEO, Steve Arhane, hailed Carlsen as the greatest chess player of all time.
Ian Nepomniachtchi
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- Team: Aurora
- FIDE Ranking: 9
- Russia's top chess player joined Aurora Gaming, enthusiastic about chess's EWC inclusion and the ambitious esports project.
Ding Liren
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- Team: LGD
- FIDE Ranking: 17
- Despite a recent setback, the Chinese esports powerhouse LGD added Ding Liren to their EWC roster.
Fabiano Caruana
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- Team: Team Liquid
- FIDE Ranking: 2
- Team Liquid further strengthened their chess presence with a three-year contract signing of American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana.
Hikaru Nakamura
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- Team: Team Falcons
- FIDE Ranking: 3
- Five-time U.S. Champion and Twitch star Hikaru Nakamura joined Team Falcons, significantly boosting their team.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
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- Team: Vitality
- FIDE Ranking: 22
- French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave joined Vitality, a prominent French esports organization.
Volodar Murzin
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- Team: AG Global Esports
- FIDE Ranking: 70
- Eighteen-year-old Volodar Murzin, a 2024 World Rapid Championship winner, signed with AG Global Esports.
Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Alexander Botnik
Image: x.com
- Team: NAVI
- FIDE Rankings: 11th, 6th, and 166th respectively.
- NAVI significantly expanded their chess division with the signings of these three grandmasters.
