Saudi Arabia is using e-sports to polish its image in the world – and right in the middle of it all: chess luminary Magnus Carlsen

A chess game is usually a direct confrontation. The opponents sit across the board, eye to eye. With a straight face, they try to interpret each other's every movement. The game of kings is both an intellectual and psychological duel.

In this match, things are different. Magnus Carlsen, the world's best chess player, sits in front of a computer screen in a comfortable chair, like gamers do. The 34-year-old's ears are covered with sound-dampening headphones. Carlsen makes his moves by clicking the mouse on the computer. He can't see his opponent.

This means that the five-time world champion from Norway is allowed to show his emotions here. Carlsen smiles, shakes his head, and grimaces, all while wearing a jacket with horse motifs that would drive his opponent crazy during a normal match. The match is being streamed online; the audience can see the chessboard and the opponents.

Unlike at traditional tournaments, the spectators in the arena cheer and applaud successful moves. Carlsen isn't playing in the solemn atmosphere of a traditional chess competition, but at the E-Sports World Cup in Riyadh. He wins the tournament and collects $250,000—a hefty fee for three days at the board.

Two years ago, Carlsen surrendered his title of world champion from the International Chess Federation (FIDE) without a fight. He told the media that classical chess was increasingly boring to him. His appearance in an electronic tournament in Saudi Arabia was not a coincidence, but a calculated move.

This year, chess was part of the E-Sports World Cup for the first time, a major electronic sports event running from early July to mid-August. 2,000 participants compete in 25 different games; the total prize money is $71.5 million. The E-Sports World Cup is sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) .

Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman uses the lavish fund, among other things, to invest in sports and eSports. The portfolio includes Newcastle United Football Club and the LIV Tour in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia has already hosted prestigious boxing matches and is expected to be awarded the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

This is part of Vision 2030, with which the government aims to initiate social and economic changes that will make the country less dependent on oil revenues. The investments in sports and eSports also serve to present a more modern image of Saudi Arabia to the world.

The PIF invests not only in football clubs but also in computer game manufacturers. Through a subsidiary, it holds shares in Electronic Arts, known for games like Madden and FIFA, as well as in Activision, the developer of the Call of Duty series. Participants in the Esports World Cup also compete in these games.

In the planned artificial city of Qiddiya, in addition to water parks, leisure parks, and a Formula 1 racetrack, there will one day also be a center for e-sports, with training facilities and infrastructure for competitions. Saudi Arabia sees potential in e-sports – this may also be due to the fact that two-thirds of the population is under 35 years old. And this is where Carlsen comes in. And with him, chess.

During the pandemic, thanks to the internet, chess shed its dusty image and gained a younger audience. Chess-loving YouTubers, the Netflix series "Queen's Gambit," and learning and gaming portals like "Chess.com" fueled this trend. Carlsen recognized the potential during the coronavirus pandemic and founded the Champions Chess Tour, an electronic tournament format.

He later sold the Champions Chess Tour to Chess.com, but finding sponsors proved difficult. In an interview with a chess influencer in 2023, Carlsen said his dream investor would be the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF. This "dream" has now become reality: This year, the Champions Chess Tour final tournament took place for the first time at the E-Sports World Cup.

In recent years, Carlsen has traveled to Saudi Arabia several times, spoken at a conference, and is now a global ambassador for the Esports World Cup—together with Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he has already challenged to a casual chess duel. How much Carlsen receives for his involvement remains unclear.

Saudi Arabia continues to face accusations of sportswashing. Regarding the potential awarding of the 2034 World Cup, former FIFA reformer and emeritus criminal law professor Mark Pieth told the NZZ newspaper : "FIFA is making a deal with the devil." He demanded that Saudi Arabia meet certain minimum human rights standards.

Last weekend, while Carlsen was playing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia executed 17 people within three days. At the beginning of July, Amnesty International wrote that the number of executions in Saudi Arabia had risen steadily over the past ten years and would have peaked at 345 in 2024.

Carlsen remains silent on these events. He is in good company: after all, former tennis star Rafael Nadal and footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have also been harnessed to Saudi Arabia's cause.