Magnus Carlsen, the young, reigning world chess champion, is hitting the headlines. He’s working with Saudi Arabia to serve as the global ambassador for their upcoming Esports World Cup. This collaboration not only underscores Carlsen’s influence in the world of chess but highlights Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in global sports. Carlsen shows no signs of yielding ground to the chess community. Along the way, he wrestles with the fraught human rights concerns related to his new friend.
Carlsen first launched the #MoveForEquality campaign with fellow chess player Anish Giri on March 21, 2019. This recent initiative to counter racial discrimination through symbolic chess matches not only makes a statement against divisive policies, but illustrates Carlsen’s dedication to social causes. Yet his recent moves to align himself with Saudi Arabia have raised doubts about the sports–politics marriage. This is especially significant in light of the kingdom’s highly controversial record on a host of human rights violations.
Carlsen will appear on behalf of the Esports World Cup. This development has major backing from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The kingdom is leveraging this event to further its larger strategy of increasing its footprint in international sports. This approach has attracted other high-profile athletes including Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, and Lionel Messi to the region.
This isn’t the first time Carlsen has teamed up with Saudi Arabia. Just a few months earlier, he had triumphed at the 2017 World Championships in rapid and blitz chess in Riyadh. This victory cemented his position in the area. Most recently, he dared Ronaldo to a game of chess on opening day of the World Cup. This daring initiative gives him and his sport even more room to grow, establishing him as a global ambassador on behalf of the sport.
“I personally don’t know what Ronaldo has done on the chessboard, but what he has done in his life, in his football career, is extremely impressive. So, I would certainly be very honored if I could, you know, meet him or play chess while I’m here,” – Magnus Carlsen.
Endorsements like these are extremely lucrative. If Carlsen takes home first place in the chess portion of the Esports World Cup, he’ll walk away with $250,000 after only three days of work. Yet, this unusual partnership is under intense scrutiny. His critics point out that Carlsen has mostly avoided calling out Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses. This avoidance even involves the kingdom’s continued refusal to issue visas to Israeli athletes.
Carlsen hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing in future Saudi Arabian tournaments. He is confident that these tournaments will draw more players to participate, particularly the women athletes. This assertion speaks to a commitment to inclusiveness in a part of the state where the fight for gender equity is still an urgent need.
The chess community is understandably intrigued by the way Carlsen conducts himself and what he may be saying as he embarks on this new path in his career. His continued success speaks for itself. Since the start of the Champions Tour in 2020, he has been utterly ruthless against the competition and most recently defended his Chessable Masters title by beating Hikaru Nakamura in back-to-back matches.
Carlsen’s new partnership with Saudi Arabia is directly related to the coming Esports World Cup. Still, it’s a sign of the kingdom’s growing ambitions in the sports world. From the enormous Saudi mega projects to sports washing, Saudi Arabia invests heavily in sports infrastructure and events. Carlsen’s participation does more than increase the brand of one of chessdom’s biggest stars—it increases the brand of Saudi Arabia on the world stage as well.