After a three-year streak, chess grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi will miss the world chess championship match. But fret not, this mastermind isn’t hitting the pause button; he’s swapping the chess board for the digital arena. The upcoming BetBoom’s Streamers Battle Dota 2 tournament will see him swerve, dodge and strategize, showcasing his MOBA prowess.
The news of his participation, unearthed by sharp-eyed Redditors, came as a pleasant surprise to the gaming world. Nepomniachtchi, fondly referred to as Nepo by tech-challenged chess enthusiasts, isn’t just a chess prodigy; he is also a seasoned gamer. He has previously clinched the winner’s title at the 2011 ASUS Winter Open Dota 2 tournament, defeating titans like NAVI under the alias BloodAngel.
The Russian grandmaster’s gaming journey also includes a stint with Hearthstone, during which he introduced his fellow grandmaster Peter Svidler to the world of card gaming. Despite achieving some impressive ladder finishes in Blizzard’s card game, Nepo has refrained from participating in any major LAN events. The demands of high-level chess play and his commitment to Dota 2 possibly explain this decision, along with his occasional heated exchanges and rumored cheating allegations.
Nepo isn’t the only esports player with notable achievements in the chess world. Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren, the in-game leader of The MongolZ and a Mongolian Counter-Strike player, holds a 2369 standard Elo and the FIDE Master title. While his ranking is a fair distance from Nepo’s 2755, it positions him amongst the top 4,000 players globally.
The eighth edition of BetBoom’s Streamers Battle will also host personalities like Sheever and footballer Aleksandr Golovin. For live updates, tune into the official YouTube broadcast and NarodCast on Twitch. Make sure to have a Russian dictionary handy for maximum enjoyment. As for the world chess championship match, we’re passing the baton to Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh.
