Twitter user says 'Chess is new cricket', Magnus Carlsen cites 4 reasons why it's not

World Champion Magnus Carlsen took to Twitter to clarify that the game of Chess is nothing like cricket after a user compared both the sports. Carlsen won the FTX Crypto Cup on Monday but not before losing the final round match to India’s grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa. This loss to the young Indian star was the third for the Norwegians in a span of six months. Youtubers Abhi and Niyu took to Twitter and said, “Chess is the new cricket. Prove me wrong!” Magnus Carlsen responded to this and said that Cricket is played on a field with humans while chess is played on a board with wooden pieces. He added that cricket has a bat and a ball unlike chess. Carlsen went on to add that as many as 22 players are needed for a cricket match, but in chess, it’s only two. He concluded his post saying, “I can’t play cricket.”

Chess is the new cricket. Prove me wrong!

— Abhi and Niyu (@abhiandniyu) August 22, 2022

4 reasons why chess isn’t cricket:

Cricket is played on a field with humans, chess is played on a board with wooden pieces.

Cricket has a bat and a ball, chess usually doesn’t.

There are 22 players needed for a cricket match, while chess is only two.

I can’t play cricket. https://t.co/RUxe3sA2V5

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) August 22, 2022

India’s Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa proved to be too good for the world champion in tiebreaks in the seventh and final round thus finishing runner-up in the FTX Crypto Cup. It is the second major on the Champions Chess Tour. He started the round a couple of points behind Carlsen and the Indian prodigy looked under pressure. However, Carlsen floundered towards the end and the Indian star capitalised to take the into blitz tiebreaks. In the four rapid games that followed, Praggnanandhaa created a number of chances in the drawn first game, was excellent in his defence in the second and then drew the third round, before taking the upper hand in the fourth round. Carlsen reacted before the final game, “This game was very nervy, I think, for both of us. Today I haven’t been able to find a rhythm at all, but hopefully, I can relax a bit in the last game." However, the champion stuttered in the endgame in the fourth game and this is where the complexion of the game changed. “I think Magnus just wanted to have more fun!" Pragg, who still had work to do to finish second, was quoted as saying in the release.