August 2, 2025: World number one Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has cemented his dominance in the world of chess, winning the inaugural Chess Esports World Cup 2025. Representing Team Liquid, Carlsen defeated GM Alireza Firouzja of Team Falcons in a convincing 2-0 victory in the final, securing the championship and a prize of US$250,000.
The finals were played in a best-of-three sets format, similar to tennis, with Carlsen clinching both sets with identical scores of 3-1. His only loss of the match came in the first game of the second set, but he quickly rebounded to win the next three games in a row to secure the title. Firouzja received US$190,000 for his second-place finish.
In the third-place playoff, GM Hikaru Nakamura (Team Falcons) defeated GM Arjun Erigaisi (Gen.G Esports) with a score of 3.5-2.5. Nakamura took home US145,000,whileErigaisiearnedUS115,000.
The tournament, which featured a time control of 10 minutes with no increment, also had a unique rule where the loser of a match had their “key crushed by their opponent.” This marked a thrilling end to the first-ever Chess Esports World Cup, a tournament with a total prize fund of US$1.5 million.