EP 154 | Is Chess an eSport?

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IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess and GM Jesse Kraai question if chess is an E-Sport. What do you think?

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00:03 – Chess joins Esports World Cup

00:52 – Event format & prize money

01:39 – Impact on Magnus Tour

02:55 – Saudi Arabia controversy

03:55 – Top 12 participants listed

05:00 – Wildcard qualifiers

07:07 – Ethics vs esport debate

17:09 – Magnus’s business motives

30:20 – Is chess a video game?

37:08 – Audience split: old vs new

43:14 – Support for freestyle chess

48:08 – FIDE’s relevance at risk

53:25 – Ambassadorship ethics

59:46 – LGBTQ & inclusivity issues

1:04:24 – Final thoughts & viewer poll