Top chess grandmasters, including Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So, are joining major esports organizations, signaling a new era of competitive chess.
In recent weeks, a surprising shift has taken place in competitive chess, with top grandmasters—including former world champions and rising stars—joining major esports organizations.
Leading the charge is five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, now representing Team Liquid.
Here’s a look at other chess grandmasters that have joined esports organizations.
A New Era: Chess Grandmasters in Esports
As of February 2025, over ten elite chess players have signed with esports teams, marking a new wave of crossover between the two competitive worlds.
The trend began with Volodar Murzin, who signed with Chinese team All Gamers on February 2.
A few days later, Gen.G Esports added Arjun Erigaisi to its roster on February 5, followed by Team Vitality signing Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on February 11.
The movement gained even more traction when LGD Gaming made headlines on February 13 by signing the reigning World Chess Champion, Ding Liren.
The biggest splash came on February 13-14, when Team Liquid secured two of the most recognizable names in chess—Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian organization Natus Vincere signed a trio of grandmasters on February 15: Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Olexandr Bortnyk.
The following day, Weibo Gaming brought in Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi. On February 17, Hikaru Nakamura, one of the most influential chess streamers, joined Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons.
Finally, Ian Nepomniachtchi became the latest addition to the growing list when he signed with Aurora Gaming on February 18.
Why are chess players joining esports teams?
The biggest driving force behind this movement is the Esports World Cup (EWC), which recently announced chess as one of its featured competitions.
With a $1.5 million prize pool and rapid chess (10+0 time control) as the format, the EWC has become an attractive opportunity for top players. The event will feature 16 elite competitors, including qualifiers from the Champions Chess Tour and a Last Chance Qualifier in Riyadh.
This means one thing for esports teams: a golden opportunity to capitalize on chess’s growing online audience.
Rapid and blitz chess has become incredibly popular on streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, with players like Hikaru Nakamura drawing millions of views.
Signing top grandmasters isn’t just about competition—it’s also about content creation and brand exposure.