(Reuters) -Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen won the inaugural Esports World Cup chess tournament on Friday, defeating Alireza Firouzja in Riyadh.

World number one Carlsen claimed the $250,000 top prize and saw his Team Liquid sneak ahead in the overall championship after his win over Firouzja.

The prize pool of the tournament was $1.5 million.

"It’s been an amazing show, unlike anything I’ve ever seen," Carlsen said just before lifting the trophy on stage, with pyrotechnics lighting up behind him.

The inclusion of the centuries-old board game in the esports tournament comes after it experienced a significant revival during the pandemic.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk)