WARSAW, Poland —The 2023 SuperBet Rapid & Blitz, part of the Grand Chess Tour circuit, was marred by a rather stunning and unprecedented turn of events. Midway through the tournament, rather than exchanging pawns, players found themselves exchanging betting tickets and gambling cards.
In one particularly dramatic incident, tensions reached a boiling point between arch Twitter-rivals Anish Giri and former World Champion Magnus Carlsen. As the cards were dealt in a heated game of Blackjack, Giri’s exasperated cries echoed through the hall, accusing Carlsen of rigged hands and an unfair advantage. “I HAD A 20 THREE DIFFERENT TIMES AND SOMEHOW MAGNUS HAD 21 ON ALL HANDS. THIS IS RIGGED,” Giri erupted, his voice filled with a maniacal edge.
Carlsen adamantly denied any unfair play on his part as the dealer, claiming that it was “inappropriate” of Anish to level public cheating accusations at him without any concrete evidence. The players had to be separated from a physical confrontation by the building security.
Local spectators in attendance who had hoped to see some of the world’s best chess players battle it out in person were left in a state of disgust and forced to ask for refunds. Garry Kasparov, a prominent political commentator who is considered to be the mastermind of the Grand Chess Tour, expressed his disappointment in the players. He admitted to being flummoxed as to how this could have happened with such a reputable sponsor like SuperBet, an online-based sportsbook and casino operating out of Romania.
Kasparov intimated that perhaps a sponsor change would be needed in order to “switch up the vibes.” He suggested Phil Morris and Anheuser-Buch as desirable candidates, citing a need for “Western moral clarity,” before segueing into his scheduled hourly tirade about Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
