Magnus Carlsen Makes History To Be The Champion Of The First Esport Chess World Cup

World number one chess player Magnus Carlsen won the first Chess Esport World Cup in history. (Photo: Instagram @ewc_en)

JAKARTA - Magnus Carlsen managed to make history the first chess player in history to win the Esport Chess World Cup after defeating Alireza Firouzja.

The world number one Norwegian brought home the trophy after winning the last three games against Firouzja in the Grand Final which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, August 1.

"It's an amazing show, unlike anything I've ever seen," Carlsen said shortly before lifting the trophy on stage.

This result made Carlsen bring his team, Team Liquid, lead the standings as a whole. He also has the right to claim a grand prize of 250 thousand US dollars or equivalent to Rp4.1 billion.

The final clash is held in the best-of-three-set format. Two sets each consist of four games and a set of determinations will take place in two games if needed.

However, Carlsen finished everything in just two sets. He managed to record a 3-1 win twice and closed the game with a final score of 2-0.

This result makes the 34-year-old chess player no longer need to play the third set in best-of-three-set format.

Before the final match, Firouzja of Team Falcons had never lost a single game during the tournament. On the other hand, Carlsen himself lost twice to Nakamura in the semifinals before finally winning 4-3 in that match.

This success also reinforces Carlsen's dominance in the chess world. Before becoming the first world champion in the digital realm, he was a world champion five times in classic chess.

As for the match against third place, HKaru Nakamura defeated Grandmaster Arjun Erigasii with a score of 3.5-2.5.

Catur is one of the newest branches to be competed in the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) in Saudi Arabia. The main reason chess is included in the esports category is because the tournament can be played online.