Chess joins Esports World Cup 2025 with Magnus Carlsen as Global Brand Ambassador

Esports World Cup Foundation ("EWCF"), and Chess.com have announced a multi-year partnership that will bring Chess to the forefront starting with the Esports World Cup 2025. Retired chess champion, Magnus Carlsen will also be the Global Ambassador of the event taking Chess to a global audience.

"I'm thrilled to see Chess join some of the biggest games in the world at the Esports World Cup," said Magnus Carlsen, Grandmaster. "This partnership is an incredible opportunity to grow the game, by introducing Chess to new audiences and inspiring the next generation of players. Being part of the esports family is an amazing opportunity for Chess to broaden its reach to a massive group of esports fans."

Magnus Carlsen has been one of the most prominent names in World chess. He was instrumental in bringing the near 1,500-year-old game to the mainstream audience.

Not only is he one of the biggest names and winners in Chess, but also a great entertainer. This allows him to captivate his audience at a level unseen in Chess so far. 

“Bringing Chess, a game that has been played for 1,500 years, to the Esports World Cup is a truly exciting moment," said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. "It's the perfect example of how games evolve: from boards to screens, the core competition stays the same. Chess' rich history, global appeal, and thriving competitive scene make it a perfect fit for our mission to unite the world's most popular games and their passionate communities under one competitive umbrella.”

There will be slight tweaks to how Chess works at the Esports World Cup 2025. The Esports World Cup will be a part of the  Champions Chess Tour (CCT). The tournament will decide who moves ahead to the Finals in Riyadh.

Matches will be played in a 10+0 format. This format allows matches to get over quicker while still allowing for strategic insights that make Chess exciting as a game. Should a match be tied after regulation, there will be a single Armageddon game as a tiebreaker.

Armageddon chess has the same rules as a regular game of chess except for two very important distinctions:

1) Black has draw odds, meaning that if Black draws the game, then they win.

2) Black starts with less time on the clock than White. Armageddon games often serve as a final tiebreak system after multiple draws have occurred in previous stages of the match. 

The top 12 players from the CCT will play the EWC Chess tournament. The EWC takes place in late July and features the best of Chess from all over the world. The tournament takes place from July 31 till August 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With a $1.5 million prize pool, the tournament is the pinnacle of Chess as an esport.

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