Team Liquid signs chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen

18 February 2025

More and more traditional sports are finding their way to the world of international esports and chess seems to be the latest discipline to join the list. The year 2025 is not even two months old yet, but it already looks like the chess board will be one of the next great battlefields for some of the major international esports organizations in the world. Probably the biggest signing in that sense was made by Team Liquid, who very recently managed to bring in none other than Magnus Carlsen, who is considered by many to be one of the best chess player to have ever lived.

Esports World Cup 2025

“It is so exciting to be a part of what I believe is the biggest and best esports team in the world. As one of the biggest names in chess myself, partnering up with the best team and a fun brand is a perfect fit. In this digital age, we're finding that chess in an esports setting is tremendously exciting, and that's where I see the future of chess in faster formats. I look forward to chess players becoming staples of esports teams from now on.”

That is how Magnus Carlsen reacted to the publication of the news about him signing with Team Liquid earlier this month. And he is not exaggerating, because Team Liquid did manage to bring in one of the greatest chess minds of all time. Carlsen, who is still aged just 34 at the time of writing, is a five-time World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Champion, and eight-time World Blitz Chess Champion, who has held the top position in the FIDE world chess rankings since 1 July 2011. Only the legendary Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov has spent more time as the highest-rated played in the world than Carlsen.

The Norwegian will represent Team Liquid in international chess tournaments this year, starting with the 2025 Champions Chess Chessable Masters, which run from February 16th to February 18th, 2025. That’s not the only reason for Team Liquid to sign the chess superstar though, because Carlsen is also one of the official ambassadors for the 2025 Esports World Cup. That multi-title tournament, which will be held over the summer this year (exact dates are yet to be announced) will feature chess for the first time.

Caruana already signed

As if signing world number one Magnus Carlsen wasn’t enough, Team Liquid also managed to sign world number two Fabiano Caruana just a day earlier. That means that the two highest-ranked chess players at the moment are both members of Team Liquid now, which just shows the ambitions the organization has for the sport.

“Fabi is a seasoned competitor who has adapted brilliantly to new formats through hard work and dedication”, says Steve Arhancet, co-CEO at Team Liquid, about Caruana, “He is universally respected and a fantastic ambassador for Team Liquid. We look forward to working with him and bringing fresh chess content to both old and new fans alike.”