Team Liquid’s Magnus Carlsen claims back-to-back chess titles at Esports World Cup

PARIS: Magnus Carlsen has won the Chess at Esports World Cup 2026 title, and has secured his second EWC trophy in a row, all without losing a single game in his journey to the top. Carlsen, who has never lost a match at the EWC, reinforces himself as the world’s greatest chess player.

The Team Liquid grandmaster was able to seal his second Esports World Cup in dominant fashion, as he took down AG.AL’s Denis Lazavik in two sets in the grand final. While Lazavik was able to draw four games with Carlsen, the Belarusian challenger was unable to win a single game off the reigning champion, and simply could not break through his strategies.

Carlsen went undefeated throughout both the group stage and the playoffs, only winning or drawing each individual game; a testament to his ability and skill as a chess grandmaster. The Norwegian’s perfect run this year improves on his already impressive 2025 winning run, in which he lost just three individual games. Someone will need to step up to challenge his reign in 2027, but that will be easier said than done.

In the playoffs, Carlsen took down Team Falcons’ Alireza Firouzja in the semifinals; his opponent in the EWC 2025 grand final. This year, he stood to face a brand new contender: the 19-year old Denis Lazavik representing AG.AL. The Belarusian had only lost a single match in his run to the grand final, against Team Falcons’ Hikaru Nakamura in the group stage. Lazavik was paired against Nakamura once more in the semifinals, this time coming out on top to secure his spot against the world number one.

Despite Lazavik’s performance throughout the tournament, Carlsen still stood as the ultimate chess opponent. Remaining calm and collected at every turn, the Norwegian was an