Grandmasters Enter the Esports Arena: How Chess Joined Forces with Top Teams

February's esports landscape saw a seismic shift with top chess grandmasters signing with major esports organizations. Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Ding Liren are among those poised to compete alongside established esports stars in one of the world's largest tournaments.

Table of Contents

• Why the Chess Player Recruitment?
• Who Signed Where?
  • Magnus Carlsen
  • Ian Nepomniachtchi
  • Ding Liren
  • Fabiano Caruana
  • Hikaru Nakamura
  • Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
  • Volodar Murzin
  • Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Alexander Botnik

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Why the Chess Player Recruitment?

The driving force behind these signings is chess's 2025 debut as an official Esports World Cup (EWC) discipline in Riyadh, boasting a $1.5 million prize pool. The EWC, a premier annual esports championship held in Saudi Arabia, has expanded significantly from its initial five disciplines (Dota 2, PUBG, Rocket League, FIFA, and CS:GO) to now include 25. Saudi Arabia's ambitious goal is to become the global esports hub by 2030.

The EWC, running from June to August 2025, offers a massive $60 million prize pool. Crucially, the overall standings are determined by a points system based on top-eight finishes across all disciplines. To maximize their chances, teams are strategically securing talent across the board, including chess.

Who Signed Where?

Magnus Carlsen

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• Team: Team Liquid
• FIDE Ranking: 1
• The 16-time World Champion joined Team Liquid, viewing it as a perfect partnership given his global recognition. Team Liquid's Co-CEO hailed Carlsen as the "greatest chess player of all time."

Ian Nepomniachtchi

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• Team: Aurora Gaming
• FIDE Ranking: 9
• Russia's top chess player joined Aurora Gaming, excited about chess's EWC inclusion and the ambitious project.

Ding Liren

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• Team: LGD
• FIDE Ranking: 17
• The legendary Chinese esports club LGD added Ding Liren to their roster despite his recent title match loss.

Fabiano Caruana

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• Team: Team Liquid
• FIDE Ranking: 2
• Team Liquid further strengthened its chess presence with a three-year contract signing of American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana.

Hikaru Nakamura

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• Team: Team Falcons
• FIDE Ranking: 3
• The five-time U.S. Chess Champion and Twitch star joined Team Falcons, significantly boosting their roster.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

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• Team: Vitality
• FIDE Ranking: 22
• French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave joined Vitality, a prominent French esports organization.

Volodar Murzin

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• Team: AG Global Esports
• FIDE Ranking: 70
• Volodar Murzin, winner of the 2024 World Rapid Championship, signed with AG Global Esports.

Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Alexander Botnik

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• Team: NAVI
• FIDE Rankings: 11th, 6th, and 166th respectively.
• NAVI significantly expanded its chess division with the signings of these three grandmasters.