By his own admission, the decibel level in the arena did not register with Magnus Carlsen as he clinched the inaugural chess championship at the Esports World Cup on Aug. 1.

"I had my earphones on," Carlsen said, smiling, in a video interview with Newsweek Sports this week, "but from what I've heard from others, it was definitely a good atmosphere."

Here's what did register: the crowd was divided in an unusual way for a chess competition. Carlsen could see the fans of his own team, Team Liquid, rise and fall with his every move. When Alireza Firouzja of Team Falcons, Carlsen's opponent for the championship, countered with a strong move, the partisan crowd reacted in unison.

In a way, chess was a natural fit among the other events at the second-ever Esports World Cup (EWC), which c

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