Chess is one of the oldest games in the world, known for its patience, strategy, and matches that could stretch on for days.
Classical chess is still respected globly, but it’s no longer the only version catching attention.
Shorter formats, like blitz and rapid games, have surged in popularity. These quick-fire matches keep all the traditions of chess but compress the action into just a few minutes.
That speed makes the game more appealing to modern audiences—and now, to esports.
Big esports organizations have started to notice. To compete in the new Esports World Cup, some of the top teams have signed elite chess players.
Team Liquid, one of the biggest names in esports, recruited Norwegian world number one Magnus Carlsen and American number two Fabiano Caruana.
“We’ve always been fans of chess,” Team Liquid’s CEO Steve Arhancet told CNN Sports. “There’s a lot of overlap between gamers and chess players.
The Queen’s Gambit and the lockdowns helped boost interest, especially in chess streamers. Now people jump around Twitch, watch a chess match, then switch over to League of Legends. That mix of communities has always been interesting to us.”
For esports organizations, chess in the Esports World Cup offers a serious business case to invest in the game. For chess, it creates another pathway to grow and take advantage of its rising popularity.
The Future of Classical Chess
Caruana welcomes the chance to test himself in new online formats, which are becoming a regular part of modern chess.
At the same time, he knows not everyone will be happy about the game moving further away from its traditions.
The American, who lost the 2018 World Chess Championship final to Carlsen, still values the classic format.
He believes the historical legacy of slow, strategic chess is deeply meaningful and worth preserving—even as the game continues to adapt to the digital age.