Magnus Carlsen was in imperious form at last week’s Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a virtuoso performance both on and off the board. On it, the world No 1 won the group stage, the quarter- and semi-finals, and the final, all in dominant style while seeing off the world No 2, Hikaru Nakamura, and one of the leading young contenders, Alireza Firouzja. Offboard, Carlsen exuded enthusiasm for the event, and delivered upbeat and articulate responses to interviewers.
The limit of 10 minutes per player per game, without the usual per move increment, was designed for tight TV schedules, and also led to frantic time scrambles and games decided by fractions of a second.
