World champion Carlsen unveils online chess series

Magnus Carlsen gives his views on his new online chess series in an interview with Reuters.

SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - NOVEMBER 28, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.

VARIOUS OF MAGNUS CARLSEN POSING WITH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY (2 SHOTS) VARIOUS UNKNOWN LOCATIONS (RECENT - MAY 3, 2020) (CHESS24 HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL) 2.

CARLSEN BEATING HIKARU NAKAMURA TO WIN THE MAGNUS CARLSEN INVITATIONAL 3.

SCREEN WITH TOURNAMENT BRACKET ANNOUNCING CARLSEN AS THE WINNER UNKNOWN LOCATION (MAY 14, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 4.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER ONE RANKED CHESS PLAYER, MAGNUS CARLSEN, ON GROWING THE GAME WITH HIS NEW ONLINE SERIES, SAYING: "Chess really works very well on the internet.

I think also the new format with somewhat quicker games and with the match format where you play against the same opponent several times in a day, I think it's well suited for online.

And yeah as you said, lots of people are discovering chess and I'm hoping that through these next tournaments lots more will enjoy the game and for the players as well, I'm certainly excited to be playing the best in the world." LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - NOVEMBER 9, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 5.

CARLSEN DURING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH AGAINST FABIANO CARUANA UNKNOWN LOCATION (MAY 14, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 6.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER ONE RANKED CHESS PLAYER, MAGNUS CARLSEN, ON HIS NEW SERIES, SAYING: "We will play a lot of games against each other and I think that's a good thing because it makes it more likely that the best players are going to win.

But, it also means that you start each day from zero because you have the match format and I think that's going to be very exciting with new opportunities every day." LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - NOVEMBER 28, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 7.

CARLSEN RECEIVING MEDAL AFTER WINNING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UNKNOWN LOCATION (MAY 14, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 8.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER ONE RANKED CHESS PLAYER, MAGNUS CARLSEN, ON PLAYING HIS BEST, SAYING: "We're just trying to get the best product out there that we can and personally I'm just trying to play the best chess that I can.

Try and entertain and that's all we can do.

But I think it certainly has the potential to grow a lot from what happened in the first tournament and I'm really excited to see what's going to happen next." LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - NOVEMBER 28, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 9.

CARLSEN RECEIVING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY 10.

CARLSEN WITH TROPHY 11.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER ONE RANKED CHESS PLAYER, MAGNUS CARLSEN, ON POSSIBLE CHEATING WHILE PLAYING ONLINE, SAYING: "I think it's also the case in chess that if you do get caught cheating with the computer, like that's death sentence for your career.

Like, you're never going to be invited to any tournaments ever.

Basically like no one will want to play with you.

So, considering that, having all these great players, I don't think they would ever risk it frankly.

LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - NOVEMBER 28, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 12.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY 13.

CARLSEN WITH TROPHY AS NORWEGIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM IS PLAYING STORY: World champion Magnus Carlsen unveiled a series of online chess tournaments with $1 million prize money on Thursday (May 14) having opted out of a competition held by the game's governing body this month.

The Norwegian was absent when the World Chess Federation (FIDE) held an online Nations Cup between Russia, United States, Europe, China, India and a Rest of the World team.

Yet the 29-year-old has launched his own tour on the back of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational held earlier this month.

The Invitational will serve as the first leg of his new tour and there will be three more "majors" before a grand final in August featuring winners of the individual tournaments, the organisers said.

Chess tournaments have been disrupted amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Candidates Tournament, one of FIDE's flagship events, had to be halted midway through in March, while the Chess Olympiad had to be postponed to 2021.

Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Ding Liren, and Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja -- who were the top four in the first leg -- will join eight new players in the tour's next event, Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge, which starts on Tuesday (May 19).

(Production: Stefan Haskins)