By Sagar V. Mankar 
Team Liquid has signed chess superstars Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana to represent the organization at the upcoming 2025 Esports World Cup.
According to Chess.com, the five-time World Champion and current world number-one Carlsen and the 2018 challenger Caruana, currently ranked as world number two, will join Team Liquid as the event draws near.
Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet explained in a press release, “We are entering chess with the absolute best players because winning is critical to our mission.” He added, “We’ve signed the greatest chess player of all time in Magnus, and I could not be more thrilled. This is the biggest signing in Team Liquid’s history.”
This partnership aligns with the upcoming introduction of chess at the second edition of the Esports World Cup (EWC). Scheduled between July 31 and August 3, 2025, the event will feature a $1.5 million prize pool. The tournament also features a unique Club Championship, which is based on the team’s overall performance in the event (means across all tournaments like in Dota 2, Valorant, CS2 as well chess). In last year’s EWC Club Championship, Team Falcons took home the $7 million first prize, while Team Liquid finished second, earning $4 million.
Therefore, many top esports teams are rushing to sign the best chess grandmasters before the big tournament. Other recent signings include Ding Liren joining LGD Gaming, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave going to Team Vitality, Arjun Erigaisi signing with Gen.G, and Volodar Murzin joining All Gamers Global. The addition of Carlsen and Caruana puts Team Liquid in a strong position and adds excitement to the competition.
Carlsen, who is 34 years old, shared his excitement about joining an esports organization for the first time: “It is so exciting to be a part of what I believe is the biggest and best esports team in the world. As one of the biggest names in chess myself, partnering up with the best team and a fun brand is a perfect fit.”
He also talked about how chess is changing in the digital age: “We’re finding that chess in an esports setting is tremendously exciting, and that’s where I see the future of chess in faster formats. I look forward to chess players becoming staples of esports teams from now on.”
Caruana was equally happy about the deal, saying: “I am really excited to join Team Liquid, an organization with a long heritage of success. We have a lot of the same values in terms of integrity, competitive drive, striving for excellence—and of course, winning.”
Team Liquid, founded in 2000 and based in the Netherlands, has built its reputation through success in titles like Dota 2 and League of Legends. The organization has amassed more than $54 million in prize money over the years and is now expanding its influence into chess. Owned by the U.S.-based entertainment and sports management company aXiomatic, Team Liquid counts NBA Hall of Famer Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson and AOL co-founder Steve Case among its notable investors.
Carlsen and Caruana will make their debut for Team Liquid in the $150,000 Chessable Masters tournament, starting on February 16. This event serves as the first qualifier for the 2025 Champions Chess Tour, where the top 12 players will earn a spot at the Esports World Cup.