Magnus Carlsen exhibited exceptional performance at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh by winning every stage, including the final against Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja. The event featured a 10-minute time control per player, resulting in intense time scrambles. Carlsen generally avoided the controversial technique of 'dirty flagging' until a critical moment arose. The tournament attracted large crowds and significant online viewership with over 30,000 viewers for the final, reflecting chess's growing appeal and potential as a new entertainment market. The event was well-organized and praised for its engaging format.
The world No 1 won the group stage, the quarter and semi-finals, and the final, all in dominant style while seeing off the world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura and one of the leading young contenders, Alireza Firouzja.
The limit of 10 minutes per player per game, without the usual per move increment, led to frantic time scrambles and games decided by fractions of a second.
Carlsen made a seemingly conscious effort to present chess in the best possible light, and the overall event featured enormous queues to watch every day.
The online audience on chess.com for the final exceeded 30,000 viewers, more than five times the usual number for a grandmaster tournament.
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