It is amazing how time flies and how change tends to be the only constant variable on this planet Earth. This thought flashed in my head when I read the above quote from Grandmaster Ding Liren because it brought back memories of how my parents were always opposed to the idea of me spending too much time on the internet or my phone. They believed it was a huge distraction and what should be grabbing my undivided attention at the time should be my academics.
Well Newsflash Mom and Dad
Time has changed and people are making a shit load of money from playing online games. Speaking of online gaming, the Chessable Masters - 2025 Esport Cup kicked off on the 16th of February 2025 with a prize pool of 1.5 Million dollars up for grab and a line-up filled with chess grandmasters you would love to see play online chess due to their speed and accuracy, namely:
| - Magnus Carlsen | ||
|---|---|---|
| - Hikaru Nakamura | ||
| - Wesley So | ||
| - Arjun Erigaisi | ||
| - Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | ||
| - Ian Nepomniachtchi | ||
| - Fabiano Caruana | ||
| - Alireza Firouzja | ||
| - Andrey Esipenko | ||
| - Yu Yangyi | ||
| - Vladislav Artemiev | ||
| - Wei Yi | ||
| - Alexander Grischuk | ||
| - Jan-Krzysztof Duda | ||
| - Sam Sevian | ||
| - Anish Giri |
I have watched these guys play blitz and bullet chess online and trust me when I say these guys do not give up with a fight. So sit tight and prepare for some fireworks on the board as I bring you more of the games to come.
This edition comes with more twists and a knockout system, each player has to fight for their place in the next round.
The road to the 2025 Esports World Cup starts now! Check out our explainer video for the 2025 #ChessChamps! pic.twitter.com/JMZUSCwPzY
— chess24 (@chess24com) February 17, 2025
The event is going to be live-streamed on the Chess24 YouTube and Twitch channels if you would like to watch the live play, players' reactions, and entertaining commentary,
Watch on youtube
or
Watch on twitch
And if you want to watch only the live games over a chess board, check out chess.com/chessmasters