The inaugural Chess event at the Esports World Cup 2025 concluded on August 1, crowning Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen as the champion. The Norwegian added another shiny new trophy to his glittering cabinet, with his win helping get the game off to a good viewership start at this multi-disciplinary spectacle.
The Esports World Cup 2025 for Chess witnessed 16 top players from around the world battle for bragging rights, Club Championship points, and a slice of history. It also acted as the season-ending tournament for the 2025 Champions Chess Tour, the iconic annual series beloved all around the world.
Not to forget, the EWC 2025 x Chess carried a total prize pool of $1.5 million, one of the highest in the ancient game's history. Magnus Carlsen pocketed $250,000 out of that after beating fellow GM Alireza Firouzja 2:0 in the Grand Final. The French superstar pocketed $190,000 and 750 points, which was crucial in helping Team Falcons climb to the top of the overall Club Championship table.
The Grand Final was also the most popular match at this much-awaited Chess competition, reaching 259,427 Peak Viewers (PV) right at the end of the broadcast. It also ensured a decent debut for the sport in the lucrative Esports World Cup series, sneaking it into the game's eight most popular competitive tournaments list.
The World No. 1's victory also gave Team Liquid its first win (at that point) at the EWC 2025, earning it 1000 Club Championship points. Having sealed another win the next day in the men's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event, the powerhouse esports organization currently sits second on the overall table, 300 points behind leader and home favorite Team Falcons.
"I am very happy, a little bit relieved as well. There was a point in the second set where I felt I let him back in the match for no reason. Overall, I'm happy with the way I played and the way I pressured him on the clock. A couple of times, I rushed a little bit, but that comes with everything. I think it’s been incredible. Not only playing, but watching the others. It's been an amazing show, unlike anything I've seen so far. It's just been a joy. I hope this is a big part of the future of chess. I'm really thankful to EWC for believing in Chess, for Team Liquid for believing in me as well, and for making Team Falcons have to fight at least a little bit for the Club Championship."
- Magnus Carlsen, following his victory
Among the events held so far at the Esports World Cup 2025, Chess is in the tenth spot when looking at the PV figures. The leader is the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2025, which attracted an incredible three million peak live viewers, which is more than double the next-best entry on this leaderboard.
The EWC 2025 x Chess also outperformed other prominent events in the game by PV, including the Norway Chess 2025, which also meant it took pride of place as the most popular tournament in the game this year. A big reason for this increase was the number of co-caster and general channels covering the Riyadh tournament, a good barometer of its reception on the game's debut in Saudi Arabia.
It also pointed to what could be a possible trend going forward, that chess as part of an esports series can very well go past traditional events by viewership. This is especially true if the players are part of top esports organizations and there is genuine jeopardy for everyone involved, like the large prize money, Club Championship points, and perhaps invites to editions when someone is a winner/finalist.
In conclusion, Chess had a pretty solid debut at the Esports World Cup, ending as one of the game's most popular tournaments. Since its COVID-19 boom, the sport has slowly been gaining traction within livestreaming, and while the numbers may not compare to other top esports titles, they continue to be encouraging, even as more and more people, including the players themselves, enter the content creation scene.
