RIYADH: The Esports World Cup Foundation and Chess.com have announced a multi-year partnership that will bring competitive online chess to the 2025 Esports World Cup.

The world’s largest esports and gaming festival is set to return to Riyadh next summer.

Chess is one of the most popular games on the planet, with more than 600 million players, and Chess.com is a leading website for playing and learning the game, with almost 200 million members.

Additionally, grandmaster Magnus Carlsen will join Chess.com at the Esports World Cup as a global ambassador.

As part of the partnership, the Champions Chess Tour, a fast Chess.com tournament circuit, will become the primary path for the world’s best chess players to qualify for the EWC championship event.

In 2025, there will be two online tour events, in February and May, with a combined $300,000 prize pool, offering players the chance to compete on the world’s biggest esports stage.

“Bringing chess, a game that has been played for 1,500 years, to the Esports World Cup is a truly exciting moment,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.

“It’s the perfect example of how games evolve: from boards to screens, the core competition stays the same. Chess’ rich history, global appeal, and thriving competitive scene make it a perfect fit for our mission to unite the world’s most popular games and their passionate communities under one competitive umbrella.”

Reichert said the partnership with Chess.com and appointment of Carlsen as the game’s ambassador “allows us to not only showcase chess on a massive stage but also drive innovation and growth within its already vibrant ecosystem.”

Carlsen said that he was thrilled to see chess join some of the biggest games in the world at the Esports World Cup.

“This partnership is an incredible opportunity to grow the game, by introducing chess to new audiences and inspiring the next generation of players. Being part of the esports family is an amazing opportunity for chess to broaden its reach to a massive group of esports fans,” he said.

The top 12 players from the CCT will be invited to the EWC Chess tournament, which will take place between July 31 and Aug. 3, 2025, in Riyadh. A Last Chance Qualifier, open to both amateur and professional players, will be held in Riyadh and will determine four remaining spots to round out the field of competitors. Players will compete for a share of the $1.5 million prize pool, and valuable Esports World Cup Club Championship points. 

Chess’ transition to online platforms began in the late 1990s, but the sport’s popularity exploded in the 2010s with platforms like Chess.com. This shift was further accelerated during the global pandemic, and the increasing popularity of streaming platforms and influencers, alongside viewing favorites such as “The Queen’s Gambit,” have cemented chess as a widely celebrated digital sport.

The Champions Chess Tour will bring the world’s top players together in a series of rapid-format tournaments. Launched in 2020, the tour revolutionized the sport by offering a fully digital, viewer-friendly experience, together with live commentary and interactive features.

The 2024 tour will conclude in Oslo this week, as eight finalists battle for the final $500,000 out of a total season prize pool of $1.7 million.

LAS VEGAS: Everyone has a lucky number in Las Vegas. For the Milwaukee Bucks, it was 3.

And the NBA Cup was their prize.

Tournament MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points to go along with 19 rebounds and 10 assists, Damian Lillard added 23 points and the Bucks connected on 17 3-pointers on the way to beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in the NBA Cup title game Tuesday night.

Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 13 for the Bucks, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers as the only champions of the 2-year-old event. A 19-5 Milwaukee run in the second half turned what was a five-point game into a 19-point game early in the fourth, and the Bucks kept control the rest of the way.

“It’s great, it’s great for our team,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re getting better. ... We know we’re leaving Vegas as a better team. I’m so proud of this group. Man, I’m so proud of this group.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 and Jalen Williams added 18 for the Thunder, who had scored at least 99 points in every game this season. But they sputtered in plenty of ways Tuesday, getting outscored 51-15 from beyond the arc and shooting only 34 percent.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which was held to 31 points after halftime.

“We did some good things. We outscored them in the paint so obviously we did the job defensively on that end,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “But obviously a tough night offensively all the way around for us. We didn’t score nearly enough points, especially in the second half, to give ourselves a chance to win. But we can learn from it, move forward here.”

It’s a game that only counted for tournament purposes. There was about $300,000 in additional bonus money for Bucks players — they got $514,971 apiece, while the Thunder players got $205,988 each — but the win, the loss and the statistics from the game won’t count toward the regular season.

Mired toward the bottom of the NBA after a 2-8 start, the Bucks have been on a tear since. This was their 13th win in their last 16 games, even though it won’t be part of the official record.

No matter: When the Bucks emptied their bench with 1:37 left, Antetokounmpo pumped his fists like it was a true championship moment.

He’s won bigger games — he and the Bucks captured the 2021 NBA title, after all. But they said from the outset of this tournament that the NBA Cup was a priority.

And they left no doubt in the end.

“We struggled coming out of the gates,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “No one here doubted what we can be and who we can be and we just hung in there. We stuck together and this is the byproduct of a team sticking together. But we still have work to do.”

Antetokounmpo was even more succinct: “Job’s not done,” he said.

His point was clear: There’s another title to chase. But this was still a trophy moment to celebrate.

Takeaways

Bucks: Milwaukee played without guard Khris Middleton (non-COVID illness) and still improved to an NBA-best 12-1 all-time in NBA Cup games, including a perfect 7-0 this season. The Bucks’ only in-season tournament loss was to Indiana in last year’s semifinals.

Thunder: It was a rare night of playing uphill for Oklahoma City, which trailed by as many as 20. The Thunder trailed by more than 14 points in only two of their 25 games so far in the regular season — getting down by 30 against Golden State and by 21 to San Antonio.

Key moment

No fewer than five players ended up on the floor, all scrapping for a loose ball with 9:12 left in the third quarter. Thunder forward Lu Dort was hit with a technical, Daigneault got another a few seconds later and Lillard ended up with a five-point possession — two free throws for the techs, followed by a 3-pointer.

Key stat

The Thunder are 20-1 this season when leading after three quarters. They’re now 0-5 when tied or trailing going into the final quarter (even though it will officially be 0-4 since this game won’t be counted).

Up next

The Thunder visit Orlando on Thursday and Miami on Friday. The Bucks visit Cleveland on Friday and host Washington on Saturday.