By Sagar V. Mankar Magnus Carlsen, multi-time chess world champion, believes esports-style presentation could benefit professional chess.
The statement was made during the New Global Sports Conference 2024 (NGSC), where Carlsen and other experts from various sectors discussed the future of sports and esports in Saudi Arabia.
Carlsen expressed his belief that faster-paced chess games, held in environments similar to esports events with large stages and high-quality production, could enhance the spectator experience and attract more fans.
He also noted that chess has already become more digital, with many elements of esports integrated into the game. Therefore, he thinks that faster chess formats, such as rapid or blitz games in an esports arena, in front of louder audiences and with better presentation, would be more interesting and fun.
Interestingly, Carlsen wasn’t the only one at the NGSC to endorse this idea. Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, also sees potential in bringing chess into the esports fold.
Reichert, who leads the organization behind the recent Esports World Cup, believes chess could fit well into the esports model. He explained that if chess is “put into a structured competition format,” it could be played as an esports since the original game itself shares similarities with esports.
Given the Esports World Cup’s goal of featuring a wide variety of games, it wouldn’t be surprising to see chess added to the list of tournaments in the next EWC iteration.
While chess has found some success in the esports world, particularly on platforms like Twitch, it has yet to see a major event with the large crowds and intense atmosphere typical of esports tournaments.