Magnus Vs. The World Hits 100,000 Participants, Breaks All-Time Record
The much-anticipated Magnus vs. The World match officially launched on Chess.com on Friday with GM Magnus Carlsen's first move. With 100,000 participants registered on Thursday, the event shattered the record for the largest online chess match ever held.
It's the first-ever online Freestyle Chess (Chess960) match of its kind against the former world champion, and 100,000 players were reached just hours after initially surpassing the record set last year.
That record belonged to Vishy vs. The World, which featured nearly 70,000 players teaming up to take on Indian chess legend GM Viswanathan Anand, a game in which the five-time world champion ultimately prevailed. That match paid tribute to the iconic Kasparov vs. The World battle from 1999, a landmark in online chess history that saw around 50,000 participants and made headlines globally.
Now it's Carlsen's time to take center stage, facing the Chess.com community in what can officially be declared as the largest online chess match in history.
"It's incredible to see 100,000 chess players have the opportunity to compete against the greatest chess player of all time—passionately debating moves and ideas, strategizing, and trying to guess what Magnus will play next," said Sam Copeland, Chess.com's Head of Community.
"We are also excited to see this battle take place in Freestyle Chess, a format which allows for the greatest freedom and creativity for the players and a format for which Magnus has long advocated. This is a great moment and milestone for the chess world, and we look forward to a fun and exciting game."
This is a great moment and milestone for the chess world, and we look forward to a fun and exciting game.
—Sam Copeland, Head of Community at Chess.com
To make things slightly harder for the GOAT, it was announced this week that the World Team will receive strategic support from a panel of five coaches. WGM Dina Belenkaya, NM Dane Mattson, IM David "Divis" Martinez, IM David Pruess, and GM Benjamin Bok will provide regular analysis and guidance, similar to how GMs Etienne Bacrot, Elisabeth Paehtz, Irina Krush, and IM Florin Felecan helped the World against Kasparov 25 years ago.
The biggest chess match in history is Freestyle Chess🙌
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) April 4, 2025
Think I’ll start with 1.e4 pic.twitter.com/jWkZbdkrH7
This isn't the first time Carlsen has faced the world. In 2002, at just 11 years old, the young prodigy drew after 31 moves in a match hosted by online newspaper Nettavisen. The game attracted nearly 300,000 Norwegians online and more than 20,000 move votes. In 2014, as reigning world champion, Carlsen checkmated the nation in 34 moves during a prime-time match on NRK, Norway's largest broadcaster.
Still, no previous match comes close to the scale of Magnus vs. The World. It also marks the first-ever global online Freestyle Chess match featuring a world champion. Unlike classical chess, Freestyle Chess starts from one of 960 randomized positions, which makes any opening preparation obsolete.
While registration to take part in Magnus vs. The World now is closed, you can follow the match and discuss moves in our community.
Can 100,000 minds outplay the world number-one, or will Carlsen once again prove that he is the greatest of all-time? Let us know in the comments below!
