Magnus Carlsen Skipping Grand Chess Tour to Play in Esports World Cup

With the Grand Chess Tour and Esports World Cup taking place at the same time, Magnus Carlsen, a five-time World Chess Champion and reigning nine-time World Blitz Chess Champion, is opting to play at the Esports World Cup. 

Fellow Chess Grandmaster Confirms The News 

The news of his decision came via North American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. He confirmed on his stream that he, alongside Carlsen and Alireza Firouzja, will be at the Esports World Cup, not the Grand Chess Tour. 

“As far as I know, neither EWC nor GCT have changed the dates. I’m going to be playing EWC. Alireza Firouzja is going to be playing EWC. He made the choice of playing EWC over the Grand Chess Tour. Magnus, of course, will be playing the EWC," Nakamura said. 

The Grand Chess Tour is set to run from May 5 to August 28 across four locations: Warsaw, Bucharest, Zagreb, and St. Louis. However, with the Esports World Cup running in July and August, there's a conflict there. 

Carlsen confirmed to be returning to the Esports World Cup in March after winning the inaugural chess competition in 2025. He took home $250,000 of a $1.5 million prize pool, which is among the largest in chess.

For comparison, the money from the Grand Chess Tour is $100,000, plus additional bonuses and prizes for the finals and Rapid and Blitz tournaments. 

Carlsen has become a celebrity in the Esports World Cup scene and is prominently featured in event publicity materials. 

Titled "Chess at Esports World Cup," the event is set for August 11 to 15, but that could change. Once again, the prize pool is $1.5 million.

Reflecting on Carlsen Signing With Team Liquid in 2025

In February 2025, Carslen signed with Team Liquid, joining fellow Chess pro Fabiano Caruana. 

"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 and a dream player for any team," said Arhancet of Team Liquid at the time. "There aren't many athletes who transcend their game the way Magnus does. He is in a class all to himself, and we're honored that he has chosen us as his home in chess' esports era."