Overview

• Magnus Carlsen faced over 143,000 players worldwide in a freestyle chess match hosted on Chess.com, marking the first online game of its kind featuring a reigning world champion.
• The match concluded after Team World invoked the threefold repetition rule on move 32, forcing a draw in a surprising outcome.
• Freestyle chess, which randomizes the placement of major pieces while keeping pawns in their standard positions, encouraged creative gameplay over memorization.
• This game surpassed participation records of previous 'vs. The World' events, including Kasparov's 1999 match and Anand's 2022 challenge.
• Carlsen praised the strategic play of Team World, noting their sound approach throughout the match, which showcased the power of collective decision-making.