Chess is now an esport as Esports World Cup adds the 1,500 year-old game to 2025 event, calls it 'the perfect example of how games evolve'
The Esports World Cup (EWC) has announced a surprising new addition to its lineup of games for the 2025 event: Chess. The game of kings, the origins of which can be traced back 1,500 years, will now be one of the crown jewels of a glitzy and extremely well-funded tournament that's meant to show us all that, these Saudis, they're alright, yeah? Don't mention the dead journalist.
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and Chess.com have announced a multi-year partnership to this end, with the latter being by far the biggest online chess portal (almost 200 million members, apparently) and able to bring things like retired world champion Magnus Carlsen to the table. An existing and popular rapid-fire tournament structure, the Champions Chess Tour (CCT), will become the main path for qualification to the EWC championship event, and there will be two events, in February and May 2025, with a combined $300k prize pool and a place in the finals at stake.
Matches will be played in the rapid 10+0 chess format: Players have ten minutes to make all moves, with no time added. Tied matches will go to an Armageddon decider, in which the white player has more time but the black player wins with a draw.
«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 EWCF. «It’s the perfect example of how games evolve: From boards to screens, the core competition stays the same. Chess's 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.»
Reichert goes on, calling Carlsen «a true GOAT of the sport» before wobbling into LinkedIn territory and «innovation and growth» within this «vibrant ecosystem.» There's no arguing that having Carlsen as the face of this is a massive win: Former world champion, Grandmaster, and arguably still the best player in the world,
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