Carlsen wins again. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

7 Things We Learned — 2025 Chessable Masters

NM AnthonyLevin

Updated: Feb 25, 2025, 11:24 PM | 9 | Chess Event Coverage

GM Magnus Carlsen continues to assert his dominance in the Champions Chess Tour, a series only he has won every year since it began in 2020. He started off on the right foot this year by winning the first leg of the event, the Chessable Masters.

Let's take a look at the seven things we learned from the weeklong, world-class tournament.

Carlsen Slows Down With Classical Chess, But Some Things Don't Change
Nakamura Bounces Back After Talk Of Retirement
Duda Re-Emerges From Doubts
Old Guard Wins This Time
Chinese Chess Players Top Swiss Standings On Day 1
New Format, New Stakes: Chess As Esport
Carlsen, Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi Are In 2025 Esports World Cup

1. Carlsen Slows Down With Classical Chess, But Some Things Don't Change

The grass is green, the sky is blue, the sun is hot, the ocean is deep, and Magnus Carlsen wins at chess. These seem to be the eternal truths of the world we live in. We might not see Carlsen play so often in the classical format, but he is still very active in Freestyle Chess and in online tournaments. The truth, at least for now, is that most of the time when he plays he wins.

The former world champion lost just one individual game across his five matches in the event—that is 19 games total—and that was against GM Arjun Erigaisi. On his way to the $25,000 first prize, Carlsen vanquished GMs Andrey Esipenko, Yu Yangyi, Arjun, and Hikaru Nakamura two times.

Everything just went right for the former world champion in this event. Even when he lost his queen against the world number-two Nakamura in the Grand Final, he still ended up winning, and you can see that game below (annotated by GM Rafael Leitao).

Whether or not you're just learning that Carlsen's the king of the Champions Chess Tour, his consistency is remarkable.

2. Nakamura Bounces Back After Talk Of Retirement

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus, which ended just before the Chessable Masters, was a rough tournament for Nakamura, who didn't mince words about retiring from chess. After losing a heartbreaking match against GM Javokhir Sindarov, when the American had better-to-winning positions in most of the games, Nakamura lamented: "Something's wrong with my brain, it just doesn't work the way it once did."

The event ended on a high note, as he defeated GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju to finish fifth, but he reasserted after the tournament that it didn't change his mind about retiring. The time is coming, it seems.

Despite that, the American number-one won every match he played in the Chessable Masters except the two times against Carlsen. He took down a host of household names: GMs Alexander Grischuk, Ian Nepomniachtchi (twice), and Alireza Firouzja. Game two of the Losers Final against Nepomniachtchi might have been his most dramatic encounter on the road to the Grand Final, where either player could have won the time scramble, and it led to an armageddon that Nakamura ultimately drew.

While every chess legend must hang up their hat someday, Nakamura still seems to have plenty of gas left in his tank.

3. Duda Re-Emerges From Doubts

Nakamura isn't the only player to talk about retirement lately. Though he's 11 years younger, the Polish number-one GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda also spoke about his desire to quit chess, though he's giving it a shot for at least one more year.

Maybe it's just a coincidence, but the two players who spoke most about quitting played some of their best chess in the Chessable Masters. After qualifying through the Play-in, Duda was only eliminated in the Losers Semifinals against Nepomniachtchi. Along the way, he defeated GMs Grischuk, Wei Yi, Yu, and Firouzja. Equally as impressive, Duda won both Titled Tuesday and Freestyle Friday in the same week.

Even though it was played in the Losers Bracket, the following game against Grischuk was one of the best in the entire tournament and was featured in our Game of the Day. Check it out below!

4. Old Guard Wins This Time

There's no doubt that the future belongs to the young, but the old guard can still have their day from time to time—if we can call the millennial generation the "old guard," that is. The youngest players in the field were Arjun (21), Firouzja (21), Esipenko (22), and we can maybe throw Wei (25) into that list.

At least this time around—and it's not always the case—we saw the most established and veteran chess players reach the end of the Winners Bracket. Carlsen finished first, Nakamura second, and Nepomniachtchi third (in the Losers Bracket).

5. Chinese Chess Players Top Swiss Standings On Day 1

When it comes to chess, Asia is booming. And while most of the deserved attention goes to India, China is the other powerhouse (and it's especially so in women's chess)—even if their players aren't nearly as young.

Chinese players Wei, Yu, and GM Lu Shanglei (who got eliminated in his match before the Playoffs) topped the very top of the Swiss standings on Play-in day. What other countries do we see represented by more than one player with the same flag? India (of course), Russia, Uzbekistan, and the U.S. One tournament is not representative of all the talent there is in chess, but it does provide a sample.

It should be noted that former World Champion Ding Liren did participate but only finished on 4.5/9.

6. New Format, New Stakes: Chess As Esport

The worlds of chess and esports are getting even closer this year as the Champions Chess Tour feeds into the 2025 Esports World Cup. Things are faster: not only is the time control 10 minutes with no increment, but there are also just two legs to this edition. There were four the previous year and six before that.

Several esports companies signed players before they even qualified for the World Cup. As of now, we know the following alliances: Carlsen and GM Fabiano Caruana for Team Liquid, Nakamura for Team Falcons, Nepomniachtchi for Aurora, Arjun for Gen.G., World Rapid Champion Volodar Murzin for AG Global, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave for Team Vitality, Ding for LGD Gaming, Wei for Weibo, and three players for NAVI: GMs Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk.

The next move is clear—@GMHikaru joins Team Falcons. 🦅♟

Welcome to the nest! pic.twitter.com/y5VcrOiRzY
— Falcons Esports (@FalconsEsport) February 17, 2025

7. Carlsen, Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi Are In 2025 Esports World Cup

In the two Champions Chess Tour events, players accrue tour points based on their performances in addition to prize money. After the next event, the top 12 will move on to the 2025 Esports World Cup.

Just three players are guaranteed to get in after the first event: Carlsen, Nakamura, and Nepomniachtchi. Looking at the list below, you can judge for yourself who's in good standing going into the next event, which will be on May 18-23.

Let us know in the comments below: which players do you want to see make it into the 2025 Esports World Cup?

How To Rewatch

You can review the event on Chess.com's YouTube or Twitch channels, as well as on GM Hikaru Nakamura's Kick channel. You can also check out the games on our dedicated events page.

GM Aman Hambleton and WGM Dina Belenkaya hosted the final broadcast.

The Chessable Masters was the first of two legs of the 2025 Champions Chess Tour. On February 17, the world's best players competed in the Play-in, a nine-round Swiss with a 10-minute time control (no increment). The top eight qualified, with eight invited players, for the Playoffs, a four-day event on February 18-21 with a prize fund of $150,000. The top-12 on the CCT leaderboard make it to the Esports World Cup in the summer of 2025.

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