Five-time World Chess Champion Gets Poached By Team Liquid Ahead of Esports World Cup
|
|
- Magnus Carlsen is in advanced talks with Team Liquid ahead of the Esports World Cup.
- The Norwegian chess grandmaster is a five-time champion both in World Chess and World Rapid Chess.
- Chess will debut as a standalone discipline at the EWC 2025.
Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is reportedly in advanced negotiations to sign with Team Liquid, according to sources from Sheep Esports. The move would see Carlsen align with the multi-regional esports organization ahead of the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where chess will debut as an official competition.
Carlsen, a five-time Chess World Champion and the current world No. 1 in standard, blitz, and rapid formats, remains one of the most dominant figures in the game. Despite relinquishing his classical world championship title, he continues to lead in nearly every chess format and is currently competing in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Germany.
While details of his role remain unclear, Carlsen is expected to serve as a brand ambassador for the Esports World Cup while also competing under Team Liquid’s banner. If the deal is finalized, he would become one of the most high-profile chess players to officially sign with an esports organization, following in the footsteps of Hikaru Nakamura, who previously represented TSM from 2020 to 2022.
Team Liquid placed second in last year’s Esports World Cup, securing $4 million in prize money, finishing behind Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons. With Carlsen potentially joining their roster, the organization aims to strengthen its position and maximize its earnings at this year’s event.
The Esports World Cup is scheduled to take place later this year in Riyadh, with chess making its competitive debut alongside other major esports titles.
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen reached the highest in history peak rating of 2882 in the first position of the International Chess Federation’s world rankings and continues to be regarded as the best player in the world across all formats. He remains the top-ranked player in standard, blitz, and rapid chess.
Team Liquid’s move to bring Carlsen into their fold mirrors the precedent set by TSM’s signing of another top chess player in 2020, a longtime rival of Carlsen – Hikaru Nakamura, who represented the esports team until 2022.
