THE biggest names in the world of chess are taking their talents to the digital world with teams looking to beef up their roster in preparation for the upcoming 2025 Esports World Cup tentatively slated for July this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
No less than five-time world champion and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen banner the GMs jumping to the world of Esports as he signed with Team Liquid, alongside world No. 2 Fabiano Caruana in an impressive show of force for the professional Esports club based in the Netherlands.
READ: How the Philippines managed to lose a potential world chess champion in Wesley So
Filipinos are certainly familiar with the signing of Ukrainian club Natus Vincere (NaVi), as the Philippine-born, naturalized American Wesley So will be on their roster for this tournament.
So, ranked No. 11 in the world, will join world No. 6 Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Oleksandr Bortnyk as the GMs playing for the Ukrainian club.
Hikaru Nakamura, ranked No. 3 in the world, will be leading the way for Team Falcon while fourth-ranked Arjun Erigaisi banners Gen.G.
Other GMs signed by pro Esports clubs are Ian Nepomniachtchi (#9) for Aurora, Ding Liren (#17) who signed with Chinese club LGD Gaming, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (#21) for Team Vitality, and Volodar Murzin for All Gamers Global.
Some of them are already representing their Esports clubs at the ongoing Chessable Masters, with Carlsen already assured of a place in the final after ruling the upper bracket.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
