(CNN) — The world of chess has been going through somewhat of an evolution in recent years, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The ancient game’s popularity boom has been well documented, owing in part to the rise of online formats during the Covid-19 pandemic and the reputational boost provided by mainstream media, such as the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit.”

Since then, chess’ move to online platforms has accelerated and its now currently debuting at the Esports World Cup (EWC) this week.

The tournament, hosted and part-funded by Saudi Arabia, was held for the first time in 2024 and brought together professional gamers, publishers and fans from across the world for an eight-week competitive gaming bonanza.

Earlier this year, it was announced that chess would be included in the 2025 edition, with the best players in the world competing for a $1.5 million prize pool – playing a new format which is deemed more accessible to an esports audience.

In a bid to compete in the new event, top esports teams set about signing some of the best chess players on the planet. Team Liquid, one of the biggest esports teams, didn’t hold back and signed Norwegian world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, arguably the greatest chess player of all time.

Carlsen, who has also been an ambassador for the EWC, spoke to CNN Sports ahead of this year’s tournament about how the game can benefit in the digital era.

“I think this is a massive moment for chess,” he said. “Chess has become more and more online over the last few years, especially since Covid when we couldn’t host live tournaments.

“Online was what we had and those online tournaments became bigger and bigger, and it feels like this is the next step to have these hybrid events.”

While many players, including Carlsen, want to keep the traditional over-the-board chess alive, the transition to online platforms has coincided with changes in the game’s format.

With online games getting quicker, the goal for the EWC’s competition was to create a version which would stay true to tradition while incorporating elements associated with fast-paced esports games.

The result was the creation of a 10+0 format, which will give both players 10 minutes to make their moves without any chance to add additional time, increasing the chances of blunders as players battle against the clock.

The change, although radical when you compare to what the game was like less than 20 years ago, feels very natural to Carlsen.

“The funny thing about chess is that it is a bit of an ancient game and an analog game,” he said. “But it’s also kind of made for the digital age because it’s so simple to translate.

“Most of the time when I’m practicing chess, it’s always on a screen, whether it’s a phone, a computer or a tablet.

“Then when I get to tournaments, the pieces feel a bit strange and I don’t feel like I quite see the board the same way.”

New audiences

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is still very much considered the home of classic chess, but its CEO Emil Sutovsky told CNN Sports earlier this year that the game’s governing body is supportive of the emerging esports partnership.

He said FIDE was involved in early conversations with organizers, before Chess.com became the natural partner on which to stage the EWC.

Chess.com has been one of the main driving forces behind the transition to online formats, allowing anyone with an internet connection to practice and play chess wherever they are in the world.

Carlsen, who became a grandmaster at 13, says the online world has opened the world of chess to a new audience.

“It’s a fantastic thing that we have this new digital age, where information is so easily available,” he told CNN Sports.

“It means that the game is much more accessible to fans. You have engines that can show you how the games are going and it sort of demystifies the game.

“All these tools make it so much easier for both kids and adults to improve on their chess a lot and I think that’s part of why you’re seeing a lot of kids these days, they become very, very strong at a very early age.

“Kids routinely become grandmasters at earlier ages. The audience is getting younger as well, and more and more digital. So it’s really an exciting time.”

The chess competition got underway on Tuesday, with Carlsen making the final following an incredible semifinal against fellow grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, which was only settled following armageddon. The world No. 1 will take on GM Alireza Firouzja on Friday in the championship match with the winner taking home $250,000.

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The sports betting space is heating up again, and not because of flashy sponsorships or headline-grabbing partnerships. The real action is happening where players play. While Betano signs on to become title sponsor of Portugal’s Supertaça and pushes for brand visibility in global football, crypto-first platform Spartans is quietly stealing the spotlight. With 300% welcome bonuses, 5,963 games, and instant crypto payouts, Spartans isn’t promising future perks, it’s delivering value right now.

In a market that’s increasingly driven by utility, ease, and transparency, players are looking beyond names and logos. They want access, fairness, and fast rewards. That’s where Betano starts to fall behind. While traditional sportsbooks like Betano aim to scale through regional visibility, Spartans is rewriting the rules of what a modern betting site can look like, with no KYC delays, no banking lag, and no shortage of high-action games.

Betano Becomes Title Sponsor of Portuguese Super Cup in Major FPF Partnership

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has announced a major partnership with Betano, an international online sports betting brand under Kaizen Gaming. The agreement takes effect immediately, with Betano becoming the title sponsor of the 2024 Supertaça Candido de Oliveira, Portugal’s prestigious Super Cup match between Sporting CP and SL Benfica, set for July 31 at Estadio Algarve.

FPF’s Director of Marketing, Joao Medeiros Cardoso, expressed enthusiasm for the deal, noting it will elevate the stature of the Supertaça and contribute to repositioning Portuguese football on the global stage. The partnership will include a series of matchday events and fan engagement initiatives.

Ricardo Branquinho, Betano’s Portugal Country Manager, highlighted the company’s commitment to enhancing sports sponsorships and strengthening its ties with fans. This collaboration follows Betano’s growing sponsorship portfolio, including FC Bayern, the 2025 Copa América Femenina, and the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. The move underscores Betano’s expanding influence in international football sponsorship.

Esports Toto: South Korea’s High-Stakes Bet on Regulated Gaming

South Korea is considering “Esports Toto,” a government-backed betting system proposed by KeSPA to legalize wagering on professional esports like League of Legends and Dota 2. Modeled after the existing Sports Toto framework, the initiative aims to provide formal recognition, generate funding for leagues, and support infrastructure through the National Sports Promotion Fund.

Industry momentum and political support, especially from South Korea’s pro-tech Democratic Party, give the proposal real traction. Advocates see it as a way to challenge illegal gambling, increase transparency, and legitimize the booming esports sector.

However, the risks are significant. Youth gambling concerns are front and center, with surveys showing early exposure and addiction signs among students. Illegal betting already dominates 80% of gambling activity in South Korea, and critics warn that Esports Toto could normalize risky behavior if not tightly regulated.

Still, if successful, this model could position South Korea as a trailblazer in regulated esports betting, setting a precedent for the rest of Asia. The outcome could reshape the future of gaming and gambling alike.

Speed. Bonuses. Access. Why Spartans Wins the Player’s Game

While platforms like Betano build recognition through branding and sponsorships, Spartans.com takes a direct-to-player approach that’s hard to match. The platform supports fast, crypto-only payments, bypassing delays caused by traditional banking systems and eliminating the need for manual verification. Winnings are credited quickly, and players are free to withdraw without friction.

Where Spartans truly outshines the competition is in game variety and bonus value. With over 5,963 games spanning slots, blackjack, crash games, roulette, baccarat, live shows, and a fully integrated sportsbook (covering EPL, NBA, UFC, and more), players aren’t locked into a narrow experience. The range is wide, and the quality holds up across providers, 43+ in total, ensuring something for every style of bettor.

This mix of transparency, rewards, and instant usability positions Spartans well ahead of older platforms relying on regional playbooks. There’s no waiting period for value, no complex wagering math, and no limitations based on geography. It’s an ecosystem built for utility, not just branding, and that’s what today’s bettors are responding to.

With mobile optimization and no app downloads required, Spartans is ready for action whenever and wherever players want it. And unlike traditional sites, every touchpoint is designed for speed, scale, and seamless execution across crypto channels.

Key Insights!

For all the fanfare surrounding Betano’s growing sports presence, its platform experience hasn’t evolved fast enough to meet the demands of modern bettors, especially those in the crypto space. Spartans, on the other hand, is laser-focused on player outcomes: more games, better bonuses, faster payouts.

This isn’t just a race for attention, it’s a contest for value. And Spartans is winning by delivering real-time rewards without red tape or delay. Whether you’re spinning reels, placing live bets, or playing blackjack with crypto, everything is instant, transparent, and built around you.

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(TNS) — Harrisburg University’s once highly anticipated esports invitational has been canceled for 2025.

The university confirmed the cancellation of the HUE Invitational to PennLive, after its esports program posted an announcement on Twitter earlier this week.

Sources familiar with the move said it appears to be the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures as the university struggles to close operating deficits, rebuild enrollments and fix its course on a more sustainable future.

But the university characterized it as a pause in this statement to PennLive Friday afternoon.

“Like other nonprofit institutions, Harrisburg University is always evaluating what’s working well, what’s not working well, and how to most efficiently bring to life our range of academic, athletic, and professional development programs.

“HUE Invitational is on hold for 2025 to ensure we can continue to deliver this event at the level our students and partners have come to expect.

“As we revisit HUE Invitational in 2026 and beyond, it will likely be with an eye toward expanding sponsorship and partnership opportunities. This in turn will help us bring HUE before an even wider audience.”

Student enrollment drops and programmatic missteps have rocked Harrisburg University to its core in recent years.

The school’s most recent financial statements bear that out: For the 2023-24 fiscal year, HU’s operating expenses exceeded revenues by nearly $18 million.

Amid serious cost-cutting, there is some hope for a better bottom line this year.

Still, the latest cancellation comes as a bitter pill in the niche world of esports.

Esports are essentially competitive video gaming, where teams or individuals vie against players from other schools.

From its start in 2018 the HUE Invitational helped signal Harrisburg’s leadership role in the field — both as an academic pursuit and in intercollegiate competition through its Harrisburg Storm program.

For competitors, it was considered one of the year’s first significant tournaments for collegiate teams to get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses against top-flight competition.

And it gave students in HU’s groundbreaking esports management, production and performance degree program practical experience in managing a major tournament.

Just last year, the HUE Invitational was a finalist for the National Association of Collegiate Esports “Outstanding Event” Award.

But it was also a cost center — as has been the Harrisburg Storm esports program, the university’s sole intercollegiate sport.

In the unusual world of esports, there were cash prizes for tournament champions, and the university also had to rent additional equipment to run the event.

University disclosures showed HU spent $852,120 on all Harrisburg Storm expenses in 2023-24, the most recent year for which reports were available.

Top costs reported for the Storm that year were $291,413 for coaches salaries; $180,830 for athletics-related student aid, incuding tuition scholarships, housing and food aid; and $138,185 for facility rental.

It was not immediately clear if the invitational costs were baked into the Storm’s budget.

The university, in its responses to PennLive Friday, indicated its commitment to the Storm and its esports degree program — a perceived growth center — remain strong.

The invitational’s absence will be the latest in an ongoing course correction at HU that has already seen:

As wrenching as the turnaround has been, HU President Daivd Schankweiler has argued the university has brighter days ahead.

Schankweiler, in an interview with PennLive in March, pinned those hopes in part to new initiatives including the expected launch of a long-awaited physical therapy program in January, and further growth in a two-year-old advanced manufacturing program teaching integration of traditional manufacturing with robotic and digital technologies.

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Split-second decisions, strategic thinking, lightning-fast action: What is commonplace in digital gaming worlds is increasingly revealing itself as a catalyst for peak cognitive performance. eSports, long derided as mere leisure activity, is establishing itself in research as a training ground for mental agility – with relevance far beyond gaming. Anyone who wants to succeed in virtual arenas must not only have sharp reflexes, but also be stress-resistant, able to multitask, and willing to learn.

Mental muscle training in the digital space

Scientific studies show that regular eGaming improves reaction time, visual perception, and cognitive flexibility. Real-time games like League of Legends or Counter-Strike, in particular, challenge players to make split-second decisions, analyze complex situations, and continuously adapt to changing conditions. These skills can not only be measured but also transferred to real-world scenarios, such as extreme sports, traffic, or high-stress jobs.

A particularly insightful finding comes from the University of Rochester: In experiments, gamers responded up to 20 percent faster to visual and auditory stimuli than non-gamers. More important than the game content is the speed of information processing. This makes the brain not only faster but also more efficient.

High-speed decisions and strategic thinking

Mental agility encompasses more than just quick reflexes. It refers to the ability to flexibly switch between tasks, revise action plans on the fly, and simultaneously keep an eye on the overall strategy. In competitive eSports titles, this is a basic requirement: For example, someone who issues several commands per minute in StarCraft II must not only skillfully allocate their cognitive resources, but also filter out distractions and dynamically set priorities. This demands executive functions of the highest order, comparable to the demands of air traffic control or stock trading.

Digital systems that map such performance are increasingly playing a role in the iGaming sector, especially when it comes to gaming environments that require responsive behavior, analytical thinking, and mental resilience under real-time conditions. Technologies specifically suited to eSports offer measurable added value here: They not only enable more precise game analysis but also set new standards for user guidance, fairness mechanisms, and cognitive interaction.

Emotional self-regulation is also trained in eSports. Pressure, defeat, and unpredictability are part of the everyday life of professional gamers. Dealing with frustration, quickly recovering from mistakes, and developing long-term resilience strategies foster a mental toolbox that is just as in demand in academic or professional contexts as it is in dynamic, game-like application scenarios within the iGaming world.

Virtual training for real skills

Young athletes, especially those involved in extreme sports, are now turning to eGaming as a supplement to their physical training. The combination of traditional movement drills and digital reflex training is showing initial success: snowboarders, freeskiers, and parkour skiers are reporting increased reaction speed, improved spatial orientation, and mental clarity in critical situations.

They benefit from games like Counter-Strike or Apex Legends, which simultaneously require movement, strategy, and team coordination. VR platforms are now also experimenting with immersive training scenarios in which balance, depth perception, and timing are tested in three-dimensional space, for example, in preparation for base jumps or mountain bike descents.

Pedagogy and potential: eSports in an educational context

Another exciting area of application is school and academic education. Here, eSports is increasingly being used as a vehicle to promote learning motivation, teamwork, and analytical thinking. US universities already offer eSports scholarships; gaming is part of the curriculum in South Korea; and German schools are also beginning to incorporate digital competitive games into project weeks and after-school programs.

The learning effect lies not only in the game itself, but also in the surroundings: strategy planning, error analysis, communication, and goal pursuit are essential components of a successful eSports career. Learning psychologists are already speaking of a “playful culture of excellence” in which young people develop self-efficacy and perseverance through digital challenges.

As promising as the positive effects are, eSports is no substitute for physical training. Even though cognitive abilities are intensively trained, endurance, muscle strength, and fine-tuning of motor skills remain unaffected in the purely virtual space. Furthermore, excessive gaming without physical exercise can lead to concentration problems, poor posture, or social isolation.

Balance is therefore crucial. As with any competitive sport, a structured training environment, professional support, and clear recovery phases are required. Initial initiatives to integrate exercise games, targeted ergonomics advice, and mental coaching into eSports teams are providing important impetus in this regard.

Between pixels and potential

eSports is far more than a digital spectacle; it’s a playground for high-performance mental performance. Those who excel in virtual competitions are practicing skills that are becoming increasingly important in an increasingly interconnected, fast-paced, and complex world. Learning in high-speed mode means not only reacting faster, but also acting more intelligently.

Viewing eSports as a serious learning field opens up new perspectives for education, sports, and professional development. Instead of dismissing gaming as a waste of time, it’s worth taking a more nuanced look at its structures, dynamics, and learning effects, as a guide to a future in which digital skills and mental agility become the foundation of personal and societal resilience.

WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — Kids can level up their skills in the virtual world and beyond thanks to Metro Esports labs spawning at local YMCAs.

For example, the Oscar Lasko YMCA in West Chester recently launched their gaming lab. The room is fit with neon lights, multiple gaming PCs, and various PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch systems. They collaborated with a company, Metro Esports, which specializes in creating spaces such as this.

They host camps to teach kids about teamwork, science, technology, and more. They also offer free play hours.

The gaming systems are outfitted with a software called Kidas ProtectMe, which monitors voice and text chats to help protect kids from inappropriate content, scams, and cyberbullying.

Watch the video above to see the gaming lab in action.

To learn more about programs at the Oscar Lasko YMCA, including the Metro Esports lab, visit their website.

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