Khaberni -Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, a chess legend and world number one, expressed his dream of meeting the Portuguese legend.
This comes as Carlsen participates in the World Electronic Sports Cup currently being held in the Saudi capital Riyadh, marking the first appearance of the game in a tournament which includes about 2000 players from 84 countries in 24 games.
Carlsen stated in remarks published by "Reuters": "I think chess is an old analog game, and it is also perfect for the digital age... It's easy for someone to play it on a phone, tablet, laptop, or anything else."
He continued, "Chess has increasingly become a digital game, even at the highest levels in recent years... It seems natural that the next step would be to organize a hybrid competition that combines the original way of chess and the newer, faster style of chess we now have here."
Regarding his desire to meet Ronaldo and play chess with him, Carlsen said, "I personally know nothing about Ronaldo's practice of chess, but what he has done in his football career is extremely impressive. It would be an honor for me to meet him or play chess with him."
Carlsen expressed his excitement for including the game for the first time in the competitions of the World Electronic Sports Cup, explaining: "For me, it has been a really fun journey since last year, starting from discussions before the launch of the first edition of the tournament about adding chess to the next edition, leading up to it happening now. And I'm excited to see what it will be like, and how fans of chess and gaming will enjoy it."
He added that chess is no longer exclusive to a certain segment of the audience, as celebrities and athletes now follow the game and practice it, confirming that personally, he embodies a blend of the original character of chess and its modern form, and that he represents a perfect mix for a generation that started playing the traditional game on a chessboard but eventually shifted to using digital tools to play online.
He concluded by saying: "I feel I am part of the old guard in chess, as I am from a somewhat hybrid generation, having grown up mostly playing chess on a board, and although I owned digital tools at a very young age, I didn't necessarily use them as they weren't as advanced as they are now."
