9z Globant win Chess.com's first Chess Club Showdown over Liquid
Esports organisation 9z Globant win the first Chess.com Chess Club Showdown, beating Team Liquid 53.5-45.5, as Magnus Carlsen loses to a club player.
9z Globant won the first Chess Club Showdown on Chess.com on 30 September, beating the Team Liquid Chess Club 53.5-45.5 in the deciding match. The new monthly event lets ordinary members play in clubs run by esports organisations, alongside the professionals who represent them.
The format starts with a two-hour arena of five-minute blitz games. The two highest-scoring clubs then send their top 50 players into a head-to-head match, paired in rating order. 9z Globant edged the arena phase with 2,368 points to Liquid's 2,312 before winning the final match.
Key details
- Around 4,400 players took part across nine club teams.
- 9z Globant entered 962 players; club sizes ranged from 151 to 1,142 members.
- Magnus Carlsen played but was beaten by Candidate Master Volen Dyulgerov, who plays as "Witty Alien".
- Grandmasters Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Anish Giri were also in the field.
- GM Carlos Matamoros scored 2-0 against Eirik Berget in the final match.
The next Showdown is scheduled for 28 October 2026.
Why it matters
Events that put amateurs in the same pairing pool as world-class players are a strong way to keep a community active between major tournaments. Game developers building online modes may note how team-based formats give casual players a reason to return each month.
Source: Chess.com
