The anticipated appearance of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo will be among the excitement that will occur in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, starting Tuesday. Although the talented soccer player works in the desert kingdom, this time he will serve as the brand ambassador for the second Esports World Cup.

However, the 40-year-old Portuguese man will not be the only celebrity at the SEF Arena, where the top esports players will congregate. As chess makes its debut as an event, other notable figures like Arjun Erigaisi, Hikaru Nakamura, and Magnus Carlsen will also be there.

In an interview with HT, Mike McCabe, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Esports World Cup Foundation, the event's organizers, stated, "There was a little bit of surprise." "The response has been overwhelmingly positive." The positive feeling has now transformed into anticipation for seeing something unique and engaging with it.

Chess will be played between 16 teams, each represented by one player, in the fast format. Four of the top five players in the world have participated, demonstrating strong support from the chess community. The chess competition alone has a prize pool of over $1.5 million.

The World Cup, which begins on Monday and runs for seven weeks, features a total prize pool of $70 million across the 25 tournaments in the 24 different games, including Street Fighter, Valorant, DOTA 2, League of Legends, and more.

However, chess, which was invented over 1500 years ago, is an exception to the rule that all games are now contemporary. However, the online edition, which saw a surge in popularity throughout the epidemic, establishes its foothold in esports.

During the lockdown, more and more people played chess online, and there was a digital revival. And we observed that throughout the industry as a whole," said McCabe. "Those really intense 10-minute games (rapid) are something that's really there. I believe that the fact that grandmasters are now seen as celebrity influencers has also helped us because the community has grown beyond simply the games themselves.

Additionally, chess's inclusion connects the modern gaming industry to an old art. However, despite the widespread appeal of esports, McCabe maintained that chess enhances the next World Cup significantly.

"Honestly, it's about us catching up with chess and the chess community, with Esports really being a part of that and the gaming community," he stated.

India is already a developing gaming market. However, the fact that chess is included in the Esports World Cup may provide Indian athletes with additional opportunities.

"I know that five of the finest chess players in the world come from India," stated McCabe. "As a result, there is a very strong representation there, demonstrating that India is already home to the best athletes in the world in that specific sport." From this field, India has a head start.

"When it comes to other games, we're beginning to see other sports and other games gain traction in India as well." In my opinion, it's only a matter of time before India produces other outstanding Esports players.

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