The largest online chess match in history officially began Friday as Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen made his first move against a record-breaking 100,000 participants on Chess.com.
The unprecedented “Magnus vs. The World” event surpassed the previous record of nearly 70,000 players set during “Vishy vs. The World” last year, where five-time world champion GM Viswanathan Anand competed against the online chess community.
Historic Scale and Format
This groundbreaking contest marks the first-ever global online Freestyle Chess (Chess960) match featuring a world champion. The match reached the 100,000-participant milestone just hours after breaking the previous record, as reported by the original source.
Unlike traditional chess, Freestyle Chess begins with one of 960 randomized starting positions, eliminating the advantage of opening preparation. Carlsen officially started the game with the classic opening move 1.e4, leaving the collective chess community to determine their response.
Expert Support for “The World” Team
To level the playing field against the former world champion, often considered the greatest of all time (GOAT), the World Team will receive guidance from five expert coaches: WGM Dina Belenkaya, NM Dane Mattson, IM David “Divis” Martinez, IM David Pruess, and GM Benjamin Bok.
This approach mirrors the 1999 “Kasparov vs. The World” match, where approximately 50,000 participants received strategic assistance from grandmasters including Etienne Bacrot, Elisabeth Paehtz, Irina Krush, and IM Florin Felecan in their contest against Garry Kasparov.
Carlsen’s Previous “vs. The World” Experience
This isn’t Carlsen’s first experience facing collective opposition. In 2002, at just 11 years old, the Norwegian prodigy managed a draw after 31 moves in a match hosted by online newspaper Nettavisen, which attracted nearly 300,000 Norwegian viewers and over 20,000 move votes.
Later in 2014, as reigning world champion, Carlsen defeated his home nation in 34 moves during a prime-time match broadcast on Norway’s largest television network, NRK.
However, the current match far exceeds the scale of these previous encounters and presents a new challenge with its Freestyle Chess format.
Community Engagement
While registration for active participation in “Magnus vs. The World” has closed, chess enthusiasts can still follow the match and engage in move discussions through the chess community forums.
The chess world now watches with anticipation to see whether 100,000 combined minds can outmaneuver the world’s number-one player, or if Carlsen will further cement his status as the greatest chess player of all time.