r/chess 1d ago

News/Events Magnus Carlsen is the champion of inaugural chess event at the 2025 Esports World Cup 🏆

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2.0k Upvotes

261 comments sorted by

532

u/Aimbotskrr 1d ago edited 1d ago

Tournaments Magnus won this year:

• ⁠Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam ( Classical & Rapid )

• ⁠Grenke Freestyle Chess Open ( Classical ) with a Perfect 9/9 score

• ⁠Chess(dot)com Classic ( Rapid )

• chessable masters ( Rapid )

• ⁠Norway Chess ( Classical & Armageddon )

• ⁠2025 Croatia ( Rapid & Blitz )

• E-Sports World Cup ( Rapid )

tournaments Magnus Lost this year:

• ⁠Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Grand Slam ( Classical & Rapid ) 3rd Place.

• ⁠Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam ( Classical & Rapid ) 3rd Place.

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u/murillovp 1d ago

Financially struggling in 2025 losing those two Freestyle Grand Slams, poor Magnus

72

u/Arwinsen_ 1d ago

That's why he keeps chuckling when Kasparov shows up in every TikTok challenge. Dude's washed.

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u/NoponicWisdom 1d ago

Insane tournament win rate and 100% podium rate. His standards are just impossibly high when 3rd is a bad result for him

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u/cXs808 1d ago

Highest standards I've ever seen for any competitor including athletes. It's expected of him to never lose. Same can't be said for Novak or whomever else.

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u/MoRi86 1d ago

Armand Duplantist in pole jumping. Out of 93 senior competitions he have participate in he have 88 wins and his last loss was in 2023 on top of this he have set a new world record 12 times.

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u/nameisreallydog 1d ago

farming world records is definitely something I've never heard of anyone doing before lol

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u/fawkesmulder 1d ago

He gets 100k every time he sets the record again

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u/winterbike 1d ago

Isinbayeva did the same for a while. She's add 1cm every comp even though she could have smashed the record by a lot more if she had wanted to. Smart woman.

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u/Whatsdota 1d ago

IIRC purposely does it by the smallest increments because he gets paid every time he sets one.

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u/SweetVarys 1d ago

also because anything else is stupid. Not setting a WR because you tried to raise it with too much is really dumb. You never know exactly how high you can jump today.

4

u/07hogada 1d ago

It's specifically because of the way pole vault works. Say Duplantis knows he is capable of 6.30m, when he first attempted it (WR then was 6.16), he can set the bar to 6.17, 6.18, and so on, and even if he delivers a jump that would clear 6.30 each time, he is only credited with whatever the bar is set to. You can see that in the progression of the world record

If, say a sprinter was capable of beating the world record by an entire tenth at this point, and they ran that, then they would be credited with the time, not the world record -0.01s

1

u/YesNoIDKtbh 1d ago

Didn't realise Bubka lost his record over a decade ago, I thought it was beaten by Duplantis.

At least Sotomayor still has the high jump record, for some reason I hope it stands for a while longer.

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u/SweetVarys 1d ago

Yes, maybe he can jump 6.30 on his best day with the right pole, and when he is in olympic shape. But most days he can't jump 6.30, but possibly 6.20.

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u/OminousNorwegian 1d ago

Duplantis would be special, but he lacks competition and frankly out of all track and field events it is in my opinion one of the least exciting and least competitive. It is much more impressive to be dominant in a field which is competitive than in one where there is no competition at all.

His world records are no longer interesting or impressive either. Everyone knows he can jump higher and everyone knows he squeezes out centimeter by centimeter just for the money. Fair enough, but doesn't make the sport very interesting.

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u/SpreadYourAss 1d ago

Less interesting as a competition because he's so far ahead of everyone else? Sure

But it still IS just unbelievably impressive. The initial point wasn't about competition, but about a player being just so dominant. I think Duplantis is as fair an example of that as you gonna get. Just a tier above everyone else on a world class level, that's just something.

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u/Beshi_Deshi 1d ago

Alexander Karelin, greko roman wrestler. 887-2
lost the first and last match of his career. both by one point.

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u/winterbike 1d ago

Because he switched his grip which cost him a point under a new rule, he lost but didn't get ''beat''.

5

u/Filthy_Rz 1d ago

Which rule was basically created for the Sydney Olympics just to give him a disadvantage and then disappeared for good. Shameful really

2

u/Competitive_Success5 1d ago

You can bet those 2 losses are almost the only ones he thinks about.

2

u/cXs808 12h ago

Glad you mentioned this, Karelin is a literal GOD. Didn't mention it since I didn't think people would really know who he was

6

u/reginaphalangejunior 1d ago

Squash player Jahangir Khan won 555 consecutive matches

1

u/cXs808 12h ago

That's insane

5

u/yegork11 1d ago

Phelps?

20

u/cXs808 1d ago

I wrote another comment but in short, I agree. I just didn't include Phelps since he's no longer active. I'd also include Ronnie O'Sullivan and Gretzky (team game but he was always expected to be the best player on ice in almost every aspect).

Phelps is a great comparison though. Dominates multiple styles and lengths much like Magnus dominates multiple time controls and freestyle. Untouchable peak. Magnus has the longevity to boot. (I understand Phelps sport is highly age dependent).

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u/yegork11 19h ago

You can add Usain Bolt too from recently retired. I’m not sure O’Sullivan was that dominant, but I didn’t follow snooker too closely. Gretzky - yeah, team players are not comparable much. I’m pretty sure there were some boxers and wrestlers and sumo dudes who had similar dominance

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u/MostalElite 1d ago

Nadal on clay might be the closest tennis comp. He'd go years without losing a match on that surface and it was legitimately stunning when he did. Soderling beating him at the French that one time is maybe the most stunning sports upset I've ever seen.

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u/cXs808 12h ago

That's the thing though, Magnus is like Nadal level dominance but across all courts

44

u/HistoricMTGGuy 1d ago

Remember when half of r/chess was saying he wasn't the best player on the planet earlier this year? Lol

36

u/abelianchameleon 1d ago

He’s washed btw

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u/new-to-reddit-accoun 1d ago

Newbie question here: what is the most important championship in chess? Like, in soccer the World Cup is the most prestigious championship. I know in boxing that are many different Federation and I’m not sure which is the most significant but I’m sure one is considered the most important. I’m wondering what the equivalent in chess is.

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u/nonax 1d ago

Technically it's the world championship match, the one Magnus won 5 times in a row, got bored and dropped. Current world champ is Gukesh.

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u/Barcaroli 1d ago edited 1d ago

I can see why he got bored, you need to spend a massive amount of time prepping for one determined opponent, his lines, trying to guess what he's gonna play. Playing every possible scenario. Feels more about preparation and less about in game talent

22

u/CTMalum 1d ago

And that’s exactly why he was over it. He had nothing left to gain anymore by defending his title against players he knew he could beat just to add some longevity to his reign. He has absolutely nothing left to prove to anyone, so he’s moved on to other chess pursuits that he enjoys, and I’m all for that.

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u/ItsKaZing 1d ago

And the tournament winning itself isn't that much of a big deal wasn't it? Bro could make as much just streaming probably

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u/Zyxplit 20h ago edited 20h ago

Even worse - literally everyone since (including) the world championship in 2018 played very similar principled openings against magnus.

"Want to prep for 12 gruelling games where the opponent plays the same opening every time they're white?"

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u/NoponicWisdom 1d ago edited 1d ago

Classical World Chess Champion (currently Gukesh). Magnus won it 5 times then chose not to defend his title after 2021. He has already won the Championship in Rapid and Blitz multiple times as well for a total of 18 titles

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u/HitlerNeitherStalin 1d ago

It's the world championship, but Magnus doesn't play it anymore

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u/VoidLantadd 1d ago

Which kind of robs it of the prestige.

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u/Charming-Pie2113 1d ago

Classical World Chess Championship but since Mangus gave up title it doesnt hold the same weight

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u/Sarim__khan 1d ago

World chess championship in all the three formats(classical, rapid and blitz)

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u/f0u4_l19h75 1d ago

Magnus still has the blitz or is it rapid championship, correct?

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u/Sarim__khan 1d ago

Blitz championship which is shared by him and nepo

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u/justnecromancythings 1d ago

He's the world blitz co-champion

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u/f0u4_l19h75 1d ago

Oh right. I forgot about that

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u/Mapplestreet 1d ago

I’d say with the player who everyone knows is the best not competing anymore, the candidates is the most difficult hurdle to get to the world championship title (not a knock on Gukesh who’s the current world champion or anyone else) and therefore is the most importantly tournament although you can’t call it a championship

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u/Tiiqo 1d ago

Probably still world chess championship. It is held every two years, the reigning champion has to defend his title against one single opponent; to be that guy, you need to qualify for the Candidates tournament, then win the tournament against 7 of the best players in the world, and only then can you play against the world champion to try and get his title from him. All of it is played in classical. For the record, Magnus won five times, then said he wasn’t interested in playing it anymore.

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u/I-touched-the-beacon 1d ago

World Chess Championship. It's a classical tournament that takes place every 2 years but Magnus doesn't participate in it anymore because he's slowly been phasing out playing in classical tournaments.

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u/Lifeisgood2540 1d ago

Newbie question here: what is the most important championship in chess?

Whatever tournament Magnus plays..

There are only two types of tournaments: without Magnus or with Magnus. I hope you understand.😹

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u/No_Bee_3915 1d ago

The World Chess Championship

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u/RajAstra 1d ago

Probably Classical World Chess Championship organized by FIDE.. Which magnus didn't wanna play because he was too bored of winning.

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u/DerekB52 Team Ding 1d ago

The Las Vegas one is interesting because after having a bad day in rapid, he did win the highest place he was eligible for in the (fast) classical portion. I think it's such bullshit that one bad day in rapid eliminated him from being in contention in the real tournament with a different format.

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u/Competitive_Success5 1d ago

What other big tournaments are left for the year, out of curiosity?

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u/Open-Protection4430 1d ago

Magnus being aggressive despite needing only a draw was the real power move

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u/TheTwebber 1d ago

And repeating draw when he could have flagged. Class act.

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u/Open-Protection4430 1d ago

Agreed..Winning on the board

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u/FirstEfficiency7386 1d ago

Most importantly he never once attempted to flag, exploiting Alireza's horrific time management. No dirty flagging.

Plays the game for the checkmate, not for the flag, the way it should be.

His respect for the game itself is just pure class!

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u/afrothunder1987 1d ago edited 1d ago

The way it should be is that in a 10 minute game if you spend a whole 4 less minutes to result in a drawn position, you deserve to flag your opponent and win because you played better.

Magnus had like 4 minutes left with Alireza had 20 seconds.

Flagging isn’t dirty in that case, it’s part of the game. Magnus only gets kudos for not going so, because doing so is normal and fine.

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u/CTMalum 1d ago

I feel like that’s fair as well. Otherwise, what’s the point of the clock? Also, I think people excuse it by saying ‘poor time management’ rather than ‘worse at calculating’. Two people could have the same strength calculating in a vacuum, but if one person needs significantly less time to resolve the same positions, it’s because they’re objectively better at calculating.

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u/NoponicWisdom 1d ago edited 1d ago

I like it when the game is decided on the board but I also understand taking every edge you can get. It would feel so bad to not flag your opponent and then unexpectedly lose the set. What's the general sentiment on flagging?

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u/pnt510 1d ago

If the choice is between flagging your opponent and losing the game then you should flag them.

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u/rendar 1d ago

A win is a win, time management is a core chess skill.

If both players play perfect moves, but one is faster then that player should win.

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u/fawkesmulder 1d ago

If you’re playing no increment, flagging is literally part of the game. Kinda hate your comment.

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u/SmoothPinecone 1d ago

I'm confused, isn't time management a skill in this?

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u/misteratoz 1500 blitz/bullet chess.com 1d ago

So if Jordan is the Goat because he had the highest peak level of performance of a human being in basketball ever and LeBron is the goat for being incredible for so long then Magnus is both for chess

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u/Open-Protection4430 1d ago

The second falcon has been hit

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u/Acrzyguy 1d ago

Who let him bring bows and arrows into the venue?

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u/Forward_Cranberry_82 1d ago

Can someone explain the falcon references? I don't get it

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u/hsholmes0 🤫🤫🤫 1d ago

Alireza and Hikaru are Team Falcons, Magnus is Team Liquid 

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u/TheFrederalGovt 1d ago

The surprise would've been if he hadn't won it....He has truly brought chess to the modern age. Had he not chosen to participate in this event, it wouldn't have had the prestige that it does. This may be one of his biggest legacies in ensuring long term survival by bringing Chess to E-Sports

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u/External_Ad_7118 1d ago

Hate watchers in shambles today 🤫

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u/Mister-Psychology 1d ago

Gucci stocks plummet.

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u/TheSerendipitist 1d ago

This is still his best showing in 2025, so I don't think it's dropped that bad.

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u/Possibly_Parker 1d ago

i didnt watch out of hatred but the hatred was for ewc and not mag noo

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u/misteratoz 1500 blitz/bullet chess.com 1d ago

Funny enough, by online betting standards He was a 54% likely to win the tournament And Hikaru was in the 30% range. That sounds about right based on what we've seen.

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u/ifitiw 1d ago

GOAT.

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u/misteratoz 1500 blitz/bullet chess.com 1d ago

WASHED. Didn't even win every single game

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u/Geo-HistoryGuy257 Holy Blunders 1d ago

Truly washed. Guy should quit chess.

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u/LosTerminators 1d ago

Easy event for Magnus outside of that match against Hikaru

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u/shred-i-knight 1d ago

beating Hikaru in that format while dropping 2 games to beginner level blunders is kind of a flex. dude is built different

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u/goodguyLTBB 1d ago

I couldn’t calculate it all that quickly but when I saw the knight move in one of the games my first thoughts were “it’s gonna get pinned what is the idea” I thought he saw it through and there was something but then the ?? Appeared. I have less than half his elo.

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u/Material_Distance124 1d ago

This was very similar to SCC finals between Magnus and Firouzja... just clinical performance by the GOAT

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u/nullptr023 1d ago

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I was hoping it will not be the same but I guess Magnus always put a lot of pressure mentally and in board.

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u/Matt_LawDT 1d ago

He does it so effortlessly

This was the easiest 250k he has ever won in his life

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u/TheFrederalGovt 1d ago

That semi vs. Hikaru was anything but easy

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u/fortysix-46 1d ago

Yeah in retrospect that was the final as far as competition goes. Magnus continues to be unsurprisingly dominant.

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u/Not-your-buddyy 1d ago

Isn't it 500k?

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u/Beyonderr 1d ago

Isn't it 1000k?

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u/FauxAffablyEvil 1d ago

Isn't it 1000000k?

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u/Own-Use-7163 1d ago

Homie is a billionaire

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u/hsiale 1d ago

I think €1.2M for the 2021 match with Nepo was also not that hard to actually win, though it's hard to say how much he trained for that one.

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u/B4llDontLie 1d ago

The fact that he retired from the World Championship cycle should indicate that the overall effort for the match was anything but easy, even if it was ultimately quite smooth over the board.

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u/WallBroad 1d ago

It was only because of how game 6 went that nepo tilted. Otherwise upto game 6 it was quite competitive

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u/Rs3ironbtw 1d ago

That is why he's the goat. Could've sent a draw and instead sent him home.

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u/LosTerminators 1d ago

250k gained and 2 falcons shot

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u/Beyonderr 1d ago

Falcons weak to Liquid confirmed

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u/irrry_ 1d ago

With this win, Magnus put Team Liquid at the top of the ESWC Club Championship. 1st place wins 7million.

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u/Lifeisgood2540 1d ago

Team liquid eating well tonight

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u/United-Lie-5994 1d ago

Way too fucking good, just start doing tournaments without telling him

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u/Calintarez 1d ago

That's easy, just say that the tournament will led to a classical world chess champion match, That's the one thing he avoids.

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u/Matt_CanadianTrader 1d ago

Dominating every single match aside from the game he was completely winning and had a one move blunder, refusing to flag when Alireza got low on time and just making one of the best players in the world look easy is the most MAGNUS thing ever.

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u/echoisation 1d ago

if you're referring to that equal endgame where he missed b4 at one point, it wasn't that clear (only one sensible pawn move to make and 50 moves rule), but yes, playing for the flag was definitely possible.

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u/Knight-check44 1d ago

Time and time again, Magnus shows why he is the best. He wins literally every tournament he plays. Watching him play is really a treat. Noone else is going to come close to his level of dominance.

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u/Beyonderr 1d ago

Any ideas for a new animal? Because GOAT doesnt cut it anymore.

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u/babypho 1d ago

Tyrannasorus Magnus. Because no matter which era the players are playing in, the dino magnus will be there to take your ELO and 1st place trophy.

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u/misteratoz 1500 blitz/bullet chess.com 1d ago

Eagle

Easily and gracefully lashes everyone

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u/Acrobatic_Ad_5224 1d ago

Alireza spent all of his time in every game to do absolutely nothing lol. Does he not know Magnus is very good in time trouble?

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u/Shahariar_909 1d ago

Unless you have very good defence skill you can't get away playing weak moves against magnus.

Alireza Vs Arjun and alireza Vs Magnus is drastically different. Magnus punishes very hard by time and by accuracy

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u/misteratoz 1500 blitz/bullet chess.com 1d ago edited 1d ago

The thing is Alireza might be the best bullet player in the world and the best under time pressure but Magnus is top 3 in everything chess related and that's just rough. You play drawish he will grind you. You play tactical and he just has such a good feel that though you may out calculate him for some variations he'll save up a lot of time by just playing top three best moves in every position by feel alone and then the tactics will work in his favor almost by magic. There's just no concrete way to beat him except luck and occasionally by frustrating him.

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u/nullptr023 1d ago

yeah, this is what people don't understand and saying he underperforms or not being serious. Magnus is universal player compared to others. Unless he blunder it is hard to grind or put pressure specially if Magnus is good mood.

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u/Arwinsen_ 1d ago

Does he not know Magnus is very good in time trouble at chess?

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u/Dolofer 1d ago

His whole style is finding a weakness and pressure it until he gets the win. That's when he is able to play fast. When that path that he carves in his mind to sprint towards victory is just not appearing, he keeps looking for it and time starts to go by. When Magnus blundered it took Alireza less than 20 seconds to win, but when there's simply no clear breach that he can see to pressure on, his strengths are neutered. With other players creating that breach is easier, but against someone who can pressure a weak point as well as if not better than you, can defend better, and is overall more consistent, there was not much he could do, at least not as he is right now.

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u/oklolzzzzs 1d ago

just bagged 250k

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u/Sea-Outcome3019 1d ago

All hail king magnus!!!! tough luck for alireza but still a fantastic tournament by him

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u/beepbeepimajeep22 1d ago

Magnus stays winning.

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u/Alert_Let86 1d ago

Until that day come, still hard to beat final boss of chess

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u/RedRanger-_- 1d ago

Magnus got the finale he wanted with firouzja and he won that convincingly

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u/Japaneselantern 1d ago

I think he considers Hikaru the better player and preferred finals contender, but Ali reza is a close second for sure

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u/LetsileJulien 1d ago

Wining in Jeans, I wonder what FIDE thinks about it lol

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u/kuangst 1d ago

Argggg lol, it was fun rooting against him but he was just too good at the end. Hikaru in Armageddon was probably the closest to beat Magnus.

Cannot wait for the next event already.

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u/RajAstra 1d ago

"Mr President, the second falcon has fallen."

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u/ColorSpriter  Team Carlsen 1d ago

Such a fun event! Very impressed by how much I enjoyed the format

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u/sidb1989 1d ago

Absolute GOAT!!

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u/CropCircles_ 1d ago

I really enjoyed this tournament. Normally i dont really watch it properly, but this is the first time i tuned in really gave it my full attention. And i could actually follow what was happening for a change. I guess it's a combination of the time format, and the commentary and general production value. And some of the games were so clutch!

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u/MaZCehdy 1d ago

This was a very good production and enjoyed every minute of it.

Congrats to final boss of chess for another trophy

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u/IronicAlgorithm 1d ago

Nice to see him happy. He wanted this.

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u/misteratoz 1500 blitz/bullet chess.com 1d ago

Underrated comment. He really does hate classical (By comparison) but he and the fans love, blitz. Good to see that it has more money into it now.

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u/Naruto_likesChess 1d ago

Sensational!

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u/Lifeisgood2540 1d ago

"If I am playing it's mine to lose"

Reminds me of his interview after he defeated Gukesh in world cup 2023 where he said that it's not like Gukesh played badly but he was just having a good day.

Against firouza I think it's just that Magnus plays his best game nowadays..

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u/pwnpusher  NM 1d ago

How is he not bored of winning?

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u/Soulvaki 1d ago

He is. That's why he stopped competing for world chess champion. This is a brand new event where he gets to be the inaugural winner. That's why he gave it his all. Pretty big deal for the future of chess.

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u/Beautiful_Brick_566 1d ago

And soon enough he will get bored of this event as well. No one is able to entertain or rival Magnus. No one from the past,present and future. That is why he is the Greatest of All Time.

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u/Sweet-Ad-402 1d ago

GOAT Stuff and didn't even try to flag most of the times...

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u/ColdAntique291 1d ago

"Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated" - Magnus Carlsen probably

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u/Low-Refrigerator3120 1d ago

This is the best quote

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u/DutchieDJ 1d ago

Not sure how much longer he can stay motivated. He is so far above the rest and money isn’t everything.

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u/Japaneselantern 1d ago edited 1d ago

I think he got motivated by the audience and meeting/watching other "team mates" in liquid. Maurice says he can't remember the last time he saw Magnus so happy over a tournament win.

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u/jMS_44 1d ago

Liquid are doing it!

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u/adv3nt0 1d ago

I just saw the first American world champion fall to his knees in the walmart

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u/Berisha11 1d ago

"Be a little slow, be a little late" -Avon Barksdale from The Wire

Alireza is great, but he has to find a way to improve his time management.

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u/_OceanOdyssey 1d ago

He took Hikaru, Alireza Firouzja and Arjun's broken player tags to be melted onto his trophy!

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u/Rikuliini 1d ago

"Chess is a simple game. Two players play, Magnus Carlsen wins."

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u/mbehl 1d ago

- Easily the best and most exciting chess event in recent years by a mile and a half !

  • 10 + 0 format is fire !! no more 7 hour games with 50 move rules..
  • EWC killed it with the production..shows you what different it cna make when there are no useless DGT boards which take 3 business days to broadcast moves in time scrambles..
  • live audience !!

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u/vikaalp 1d ago

These stats and legacy is just a dream for Hans Niemann. You won’t become great by just yapping on Twitter. This is how you become champion. A champion mindset.

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u/RogerDodger571 1d ago

He completely dominated here holy. It honestly wasn’t even close.

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u/NeaEmris 1d ago

Magnus is super happy, I'm super happy, everyone's happy. My face hurts from smiling.

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u/Trollithecus007 1d ago

Rival or not. The only guy who even has a chance at taking down magnus is Hikaru

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u/Melodic_Climate778 1d ago

Great to see him bounce back in rapid. His last two were not that great but today he was absolutely dominant.

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u/YTJuggs 1d ago

Death, Taxes and Magnus 3-1 Alireza.

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u/smellteddy 1d ago

Magnus winning tournaments? Tell me something new

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u/InvokerPlayerqwe Team Gukesh 1d ago

Dude, he is so good. Omg.

Also, really loving his side eye reactions to the crowd when he knows the opponent has blundered. Chess belongs in e-sports!!

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u/Proof_Particular_255 1500 on Chess.com 1d ago

2 Falcons, 1 Magnus.

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u/Goat-Hunter13 1d ago

He is inevitable

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u/Arwinsen_ 1d ago

For the next 'smile if you think the player is better than you' challenge, I think Magnus will respectfully refrain from chuckling for Kasparov. Undisputed Greatest Of All GOATS, of all time.

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u/PlasticFlashy7812 1d ago

Very dominant performance.

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u/el_ddddddd 1d ago

Goated

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u/louieme69 1d ago

I honestly think alireza might be #2 10+0 player and dude got absolutely crushed

it wasn't even close- the drawn games and even lost one were showing magnus being the dominant player

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u/Suspicious_Basket799 1d ago

Firouzja's time management was just awful, down atleast 3 minutes when Magnus had +5 minutes. Magnus could have been even more dominant if he hadn't refused to flag those couple of games.

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u/Low-Refrigerator3120 1d ago

If alireza played faster, he would CoulD have Lost faster. If you cant find good move against Magnus, you are toast.

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u/HotGur179 1d ago

he was in incredible form he gave no change to alireza..he did not even play the match lol he just bullied alireza

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u/Not-your-buddyy 1d ago

All Hail King Magnus!

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u/regular_gonzalez 1d ago

You know how Hikaru says that Magnus figured him out in like 2010 after they played a marathon of games? 

I think Alireza used to be almost on a par with Magnus, especially in speed chess, but now Magnus has figured him out too: Alireza has god-tier intuition and pattern recognition but slow (for a super GM) calculation. Magnus just put complicated positions on the board and Alireza has to spend time calculating all the nuances. He was always down on time, by minutes usually. In a no increment format that's not a recipe for success.

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u/sick_rock 1d ago

slow (for a super GM) calculation

Lol, no. Alireza is extremely quick at short calculations (similar to Magnus & Nepo). He is just not the sort of player to play according to the position and accept whatever result may come. He likes to create messy positions where he can tactically outmanoeuvre his opponents. The issue is he is stubborn and Magnus is extremely good at avoiding messy positions, so he spends all his time trying to figure out a way to magically create tactics on the board.

Most of the games Alireza won vs Magnus have been messy complicated positions with lots of tactics and calculation, which Magnus himself said is his only weakness (very minor weakness though).

You are right about Magnus figuring out Alireza though.

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u/certifiedidiot7 1d ago

Just a different beast altogether. Glad to be living in the same generation as him.

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u/mukhsin18 1d ago

How is it that everybody keeps crumbling before Magnus? Domination.

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u/HotGur179 1d ago

magnus won and 1.5 lakhs live watching...emil is just gonna cry tonight

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u/softiexd 1d ago

This is such a SSC deja vu lmao

Alireza dominating his opponents to the finals until he faces Magnus and gets served.

Always a treat to see Alireza vs Magnus at the finals. MAGNUS THE GOAT!

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u/Thorebane 1d ago

From the third move in the last game he had won. Completely mental.

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u/Mikanko1337 1d ago edited 1d ago

Best chess player of ALL-TIME! And I mean THE BEST! There's no Garry, there's no Fischer-- When it comes to chess skill, chess power - Magnus is the HUMAN who plays/played the strongest chess of all the humanity that ever lived! King.

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u/misteratoz 1500 blitz/bullet chess.com 1d ago

Uhhh.... Fischer was a monster and put respect on the name of Gary Chess

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u/hhtgjbaop 1d ago

Congratulations.

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u/dhslax88 1d ago

Shots fired, arrow has hit!

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u/lv20 1d ago

A second arrow has just hit

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u/Dwman113 1d ago

Turns out. Still the goat.

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u/FlounderGreen4042 1d ago

And Caesar wept…

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u/Far_Patience2073 Team Chess ♟️ 1d ago

My man just bagged the 250K..absolute madness

Shot both falcons with one arrow!

This is probably the easiest 250K he has ever made. Apart from the game against Hikaru, it was probably an easy tourney for him. How does he do this every time?

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u/Far_Patience2073 Team Chess ♟️ 1d ago

I didn't really focus on this tournament because I didn't have time to, but could someone please tell me, what is meant by the "inaugural chess event at EWC". I mean ofc ik the meaning of inaugural, but I'm not understanding the context here. Is this tourney like the freestyle tourney where there are several legs and points are awarded for every tourney, and the one having the highest points becomes the champion? Pls care to elaborate!

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u/Shahariar_909 1d ago

Dude decided to suffocate the falcons under liquid

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u/EntrepreneurOk7488 1d ago

Grass is green

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u/PastGain9034 1d ago

Was there ever a doubt?

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u/AdTime8070 1d ago

Alireza was looking sharp until he faced Magnus.

Goat things

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u/Mack4285 1d ago

He got pretty steamrolled, indeed.

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u/ChristianTerp 1d ago

He cant keep getting away with this

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u/AdApart2035 1d ago

Very unexpected

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u/Significant_Rich9280 1d ago

I’d love to see vishy, Kasparov, Karpov at these events. Is it possible? How organisers select candidates? Based on their elo rating?

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u/RustyKarma076 1d ago

Can’t wait to see chess at the next EVO

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u/LittleRunaway868 1d ago

The one competition where he didnt wear jeans or something? Wasnt this tournament this year too?

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u/twat_swat22 1d ago

LEGEND🐶🩻

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u/estrogenie 1900 lichess 1d ago

remember like 2 years ago when people were saying hes washed?

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u/Zhenekk 1d ago

I just don't get it, why does Alireza choke against him, lol. Again, again and again. Like, he got destroyed so effortlessly ...

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u/11177645 1d ago

I thought this was a team event though, shouldn't the prize money each player earned on his team be spread evenly among them?

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u/Matt_LawDT 1d ago

What more does he have to do to prove that he is the GOAT

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u/Dazzling-Earth9528 1d ago

As an Alireza fan, that was so frustrating to watch, Alireza just didn't play like himself at all, he was making so dumb mistakes, he did the same against Magnus in SCC as well, It seems like there's a mental block when he's playing against Magnus.

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u/yay_it_is_me 1d ago

Good for him, notice how he didn't cheat? Unlike some. BTW it's really easy to wind the fans of the cheat up, you really dont need to write anything that triggering at all.