Image: Team Liquid
Team Liquid expands into chess with two of the best players in the world, including arguably the greatest chess player of all time in Magnus Carlsen.
Team Liquid, one of the most iconic and successful esports organisations in the world, have expanded into the world of competitive chess by signing chess grandmasters Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruano.
Carlsen is widely considered to be the greatest chess player of all time, with a long list of accolades that include five World Chess championships, five World Rapid Chess championships, and eight World Blitz Chess championships. As of the time of writing, he is the top-ranked player in the International Chess Federation's rankings with a 2833 rating. Carlsen's peak rating of 2882 is also the highest in the history of chess.
Meanwhile, Caruano is the reigning four-time United States Open Chess champion and is ranked second in the International Chess Federation's rankings with a 2803 ranking. His peak rating of 2844 also gives him the third-highest rating in the history of chess.
Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet gave the following comment on the organisation's explosive entry into the chess scene by signing two of the best players in the world in a press release:
“We are entering chess with the absolute best players because winning is critical to our mission."
Team Liquid fields esports teams competing in Dota 2, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, Overwatch 2, and StarCraft II, among others. The organisation's Dota 2 division is notably among its most successful, having won Dota 2's world championship tournament, The International, twice in 2017 and 2024.
Why did Team Liquid expand into chess?
Team Liquid's expansion into chess was most likely driven by the longtime traditional sport's addition into the Esports World Cup (EWC), following a partnership between the Esports World Cup Foundation and popular online chess platform chess.com in December 2024. Carlsen was notably designated as a global ambassador for the partnership.
Team Liquid is also not the only esports organisation to sign chess players ahead of the EWC, with the likes of Team Vitality, Gen.G Esports, LGD Gaming, and All Gamers Global signing Grandmasters Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Arjun Erigaisi, Ding Liren, and Volodar Murzin, respectively.
Esports organisations expanding into chess are also looking to shore up their chances of winning big in the EWC, which awards prize money to teams that win in individual titles, as well as organisations for their overall placement across all the featured titles in the event. In last year's EWC, Saudi Arabia-based organisation Team Falcons finished first in the event's Club Championship and earned $7 million in winnings, on top of those won by their teams in the different events they competed in.
Chess' addition into the EWC also follows the increasing overlap between chess and esports in recent years, as more and more chess competitions are being hosted online through platforms like chess.com.
EWC 2025's chess tournament will feature a prize pool of $1.5 million, and take place from 31 July to 3 August. The competition will also follow a rapid 10+0 chess format, with competitors having 10 minutes on the clock with no opportunity for additional time. The competition will feature 12 competitors who will earn their spots in the event through online events in the Champion Chess Tour and a Last Chance Qualifier.
