Latest news with #KingsLeague
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
When Gerard Pique was left stunned by Magnus Carlsen sacrificing his queen in game
There are things Magnus Carlsen does on the chess board that can leave even his fans dumbstruck. One such fan is former Barcelona and Spain footballer Gerard Pique, who is an investor in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, and a self-confessed Carlsen fan. As the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour moved its caravan to Las Vegas, Pique was at hand to observe the sport from close quarters. What he saw made him delighted. But also a little confused. Asked who was his favourite chess player, Pique admitted that he was a Carlsen fan. 'For me, Magnus — I think that for everyone — is a legend. It was fun (watching him play) because obviously I follow a little bit, but I don't understand much of the movements. And I saw that he lost the queen at some point during the game and I was surprised because I was saying he's not in the best position, but I think that he did it on purpose a little bit to to gain some good position. So, it's fun. It's fun to really learn a little bit how they think and and how they move the pieces,' Pique said on the official stream on day of the Las Vegas event on Wednesday. Pique was talking about Carlsen's second game against Levon Aronian where Carlsen, playing with black pieces, allowed his queen to be captured by Aronian's rook on move 27 (27. Rxf8+) which started Carlsen's counter-attack on Aronian's own king. Eight moves later, Aronian had resigned. Pique said that he was taught chess as a kid by one of his coaches but in his team, FC Barcelona, they played poker with each other. When asked what position Carlsen would do well on a football pitch, Pique said: 'I assume in the midfield because he will move the team all around!' Pique, who is the face of the seven-a-side football tournament called the Kings League, spoke about how events like the Freestyle Chess Tour were disruptors in the sport. He gave the example of Wimbledon as sports events that were still deeply rooted in tradition. 'I love that people think about how to modernize or to improve the game and to make it more adapted to our time. Making it much more quick and dynamic. It's true that traditional sports are very against that (change). Like tennis — when you go to Wimbledon for example — the crowd is very quiet because the the players need to concentrate and I assume that here (in chess) it's more or less the same. But I would try to find a way where it's a show, it's entertainment. People can shout and athletes have to concentrate even with the shouts of the people. We do in football and they do in basketball. So when I see in tennis that I know it's respect to the players etc, but it's part of entertainment there has to be a lot of loud atmosphere and and for for people to have fun. So I know that here you have to be respectful and you have to be quiet, but if we can find a way where people can express what they are feeling and shout, I think that I'm going against the traditional people and but I'm trying to put my point of view from the outside and just if you can think about it would be great.'
CNA
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Baller League CEO sees his format as return to 'old football'
LONDON :The CEO of the fast-growing Baller League says its style of fast-paced, small-sided, digital-oriented football is a return to the sport's grassroots not a betrayal of them. "We are the old era of football," Baller League boss Felix Starck told Reuters, saying his organisation's format harks back to the exuberance of kids playing with cones on streets. Critics say the Baller League, along with the similar Kings League, are a gimmicky distortion of the traditional 90-minute game, adding new rules and mixing online personalities with ex-professional players in teams. But Starck, in an interview with Reuters this week, said that football had been transformed into a 'product' and was therefore in need of a return to the "most-played sport in the world, which is small-sided football". The entrepreneur, whose Baller League began in Germany in 2024, hopes a new governing body will emerge for the format to ensure quality as well as entertainment. The Baller League expanded to the UK this year and wrapped up its first season last month, with online influencer Sharky coaching his SDC team to victory in a competition streamed by more than 1 million viewers on YouTube. The Baller League will also set up goalposts in the U.S. this year where, Starck said, "Football never kicked off' compared to traditional American sports. Starck said Spain was another logical future market, even though it is also the home of the Kings League, founded by Spanish international Gerard Pique. 'NOT AN EXPANSION RACE' But, the Baller League boss cautioned, 'This is not an expansion race ... We go to a country if we think it's going to be profitable and not just to go for expanding reasons. "Hype is the easiest thing to create but you have no sustainability ... longevity." Starck said the Baller League was more authentically sport-focused whereas other formats had "goofy Mario Kart rules". Though the Baller League has marketed itself as a "new era of football", the CEO said actually it also embodied the "old era". "We're trying to build a governing body around the most played sport in the world and give it some respect that it deserves and not have a president that never kicked the ball in his life take a penalty for no reason," he said, referring to a Kings League rule that allows club presidents to take penalties.
The Star
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Baller League CEO sees his format as return to 'old football'
LONDON (Reuters) -The CEO of the fast-growing Baller League says its style of fast-paced, small-sided, digital-oriented football is a return to the sport's grassroots not a betrayal of them. "We are the old era of football," Baller League boss Felix Starck told Reuters, saying his organisation's format harks back to the exuberance of kids playing with cones on streets. Critics say the Baller League, along with the similar Kings League, are a gimmicky distortion of the traditional 90-minute game, adding new rules and mixing online personalities with ex-professional players in teams. But Starck, in an interview with Reuters this week, said that football had been transformed into a 'product' and was therefore in need of a return to the "most-played sport in the world, which is small-sided football". The entrepreneur, whose Baller League began in Germany in 2024, hopes a new governing body will emerge for the format to ensure quality as well as entertainment. The Baller League expanded to the UK this year and wrapped up its first season last month, with online influencer Sharky coaching his SDC team to victory in a competition streamed by more than 1 million viewers on YouTube. The Baller League will also set up goalposts in the U.S. this year where, Starck said, "Football never kicked off' compared to traditional American sports. Starck said Spain was another logical future market, even though it is also the home of the Kings League, founded by Spanish international Gerard Pique. 'NOT AN EXPANSION RACE' But, the Baller League boss cautioned, 'This is not an expansion race ... We go to a country if we think it's going to be profitable and not just to go for expanding reasons. "Hype is the easiest thing to create but you have no sustainability ... longevity." Starck said the Baller League was more authentically sport-focused whereas other formats had "goofy Mario Kart rules". Though the Baller League has marketed itself as a "new era of football", the CEO said actually it also embodied the "old era". "We're trying to build a governing body around the most played sport in the world and give it some respect that it deserves and not have a president that never kicked the ball in his life take a penalty for no reason," he said, referring to a Kings League rule that allows club presidents to take penalties. "I don't believe we're building the same thing ... We should entertain on the pitch with the sport. And respect where the sport came from and how it evolved." (Reporting by Streisand Neto; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Straits Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Baller League CEO sees his format as return to 'old football'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - The CEO of the fast-growing Baller League says its style of fast-paced, small-sided, digital-oriented football is a return to the sport's grassroots not a betrayal of them. "We are the old era of football," Baller League boss Felix Starck told Reuters, saying his organisation's format harks back to the exuberance of kids playing with cones on streets. Critics say the Baller League, along with the similar Kings League, are a gimmicky distortion of the traditional 90-minute game, adding new rules and mixing online personalities with ex-professional players in teams. But Starck, in an interview with Reuters this week, said that football had been transformed into a 'product' and was therefore in need of a return to the "most-played sport in the world, which is small-sided football". The entrepreneur, whose Baller League began in Germany in 2024, hopes a new governing body will emerge for the format to ensure quality as well as entertainment. The Baller League expanded to the UK this year and wrapped up its first season last month, with online influencer Sharky coaching his SDC team to victory in a competition streamed by more than 1 million viewers on YouTube. The Baller League will also set up goalposts in the U.S. this year where, Starck said, "Football never kicked off' compared to traditional American sports. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore 20 retired MPs spoke up on many issues in Parliament, helped successors prepare for new role: PM Wong Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and processes following $3b money laundering case Asia JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital Singapore Trilateral work group formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work Singapore Power distribution system in renewal project may be linked to Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: SMRT Singapore Rise in number of scam e-mails claiming to be from Cardinal William Goh: Catholic Church Starck said Spain was another logical future market, even though it is also the home of the Kings League, founded by Spanish international Gerard Pique. 'NOT AN EXPANSION RACE' But, the Baller League boss cautioned, 'This is not an expansion race ... We go to a country if we think it's going to be profitable and not just to go for expanding reasons. "Hype is the easiest thing to create but you have no sustainability ... longevity." Starck said the Baller League was more authentically sport-focused whereas other formats had "goofy Mario Kart rules". Though the Baller League has marketed itself as a "new era of football", the CEO said actually it also embodied the "old era". "We're trying to build a governing body around the most played sport in the world and give it some respect that it deserves and not have a president that never kicked the ball in his life take a penalty for no reason," he said, referring to a Kings League rule that allows club presidents to take penalties. "I don't believe we're building the same thing ... We should entertain on the pitch with the sport. And respect where the sport came from and how it evolved." REUTERS
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
👑 Kings League: French streamers see off the World XI
👑 Kings League: French streamers see off the World XI Kameto Ballon d'Or. This Saturday, ahead of the Kings League World Cup final, French streamers faced off against presidents from around the world. A friendly match that ended in a 4-2 victory for France. Advertisement Aminematue, Pfut, Harrison Manzala, and Hamza Paris were the scorers for the French team. Kameto particularly stood out with some beautiful combinations. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here. 📸 PAU BARRENA
