Nikita Vitiugov on the Esports World Cup, Las Vegas Freestyle… and the FIFA Club World Cup
Grandmaster Nikita Vitiugov, the top rated English player currently 53rd in the world, wrote an extensive post titled “Stay humble”on the recent developments in the chess world, discussing the Esports World Cup, Las Vegas Freestyle, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Las Vegas Freestyle Chess / Esports World Chess Cup (qualifiers) / Esports World Chess Cup finals
Nikita Vitiugov: Stay Humble
The Esports World Cup has started in Riyadh. Chess is one of the disciplines in 2025. The prize fund is $1.5 million, of which the winner will receive $250,000, and the last, 16th place winner will receive $50,000. Big money for the world of chess.
8 years ago, the annual World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship was held in the same Riyadh. It has been forgotten now, but back then there were serious debates about whether it was “ethical” to go to a country where (as it seemed then) basic human rights were not respected. An unprecedented number of participants were welcomed and compensated for their expenses, the prize fund increased several times, and the first prize was increased to the same $250,000. Carlsen arrived and won the blitz. The tournament took place.
A few years later, famous football players began to move en masse to clubs in the local league. The idol of millions, Cristiano Ronaldo, became the face of football in SA. Players who recently fought for ecology and minority rights in European leagues explained that they were misunderstood. The world of the 21st century is global, and it is wrong to judge what is happening in a country from the outside. The discussion of “ethics” has been pushed out of the public arena. Money, or rather investments, is the best cure for unnecessary questions.
[Ed. note: Carlsen vs Cristiano Ronaldo?]
A week ago, the Fischer Random Chess tournament ended in Las Vegas. The prize fund was more than 700 thousand dollars, of which the winner Levon Aronian earned 200. Not all participants were satisfied with the organization of the tournament. The fans in the hall were noisy, special headphones did not save from this. Time control during the tournament did not always change logically. Caruana’s critical interview disappeared, then reappeared. Whether the prizes compensated the inconvenience to the players at a decent level is for them to judge for themselves. For comparison, the prize fund of the last Candidates Tournament in Toronto was 500 thousand euros.
The cyber chess tournament and Fischer Random Chess stand out in a fairly even chess calendar. Many players, commentators, and fans call each of the formats the future of chess. But what is the future? There is no one born who knows it for sure from today.
Is it important for the noisy fans in time trouble to shuffle the pieces in the first row randomly? Hardly. They want a show, and with the appropriate organization, chess can give them one in classical openings. It does not seem that anything new is coming to the game from cyber sports. The old “ethics” are canceled, you can chop the flag, but the strongest are still at the top.
But the prizes, yes, the prizes are high. In the world of capitalists, this is the “future”.
In the same distant America, the FIFA Club World Cup was held in June. It was not easy for the players, the heat and the busy football calendar played a role. Despite aggressive marketing, the fans barely filled the stadiums. The unprecedented prize fund did not immediately lead to a revision of traditions. The new tournament was not understood by everyone. Jurgen Klopp called it “the worst idea in the history of football.” A harsh opinion, but hardly anyone would accuse the German of trying to attract attention to himself. Sometimes people just say what they think.
Post by Nikita Vitiugov aka colchonero_64