Carlsen and Nakamura dazzle Barcelona with blindfold chess show at ICE 2026
The world’s No.1 and No.2 chess players headlined ICE Barcelona with a rare exhibition match played entirely from memory, joined by GothamChess for commentary, insight, and fan interaction. Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, two of the world’s most renowned chess grandmasters, made a special appearance this afternoon at ICE Barcelona 2026, the International Casinos & Entertainment Expo. One of the world’s largest iGaming and gaming-tech trade shows, ICE attracts tens of thousands of professionals from the global gaming and tech industries. The highlight of the event hosted by BETBY was a blindfold chess exhibition game between Carlsen and Nakamura, a rare format in which both players compete without seeing the board, relying purely on memory and calculation. To the best public knowledge, this was the first publicly staged blindfold head-to-head between the world’s No. 1 and No. 2. Playing for fun in Barcelona, Carlsen was expected by many to play the Catalan Opening but the world’s No.1 instead began with 1.Nf3. Nakamura responded with the solid Agincourt Defence for the 15-minute game. The Norwegian tried to confuse his opponent with a double fianchetto setup maneuvering his knights aggressively and eventually winning a central pawn. But Nakamura had “seen” far ahead and, at the right moment, sacrificed a bishop to force a perpetual check. Watch the game [HERE]. “The Internet’s Chess Teacher,” Levy Rozman, provided live play-by-play commentary, explaining moves and strategies to more than a hundred spectators and making the match accessible even to casual observers. Known online as GothamChess, Rozman is an American International Master, content creator, and commentator who produces daily chess content across platforms. On YouTube alone, he recently surpassed seven million subscribers. A fireside chat with all three guests covered topics such as strategic thinking, mental discipline, and the evolution of chess as both a sport and a digital entertainment medium. Spectators from all over the world were given rare insight into the minds and approaches of elite chess players. Reflecting on how chess has evolved over the past five or six years, Nakamura said that while he had previously focused almost exclusively on his playing career, he began investing seriously in content creation in 2019, and since the pandemic, it has become his main professional focus. Carlsen noted that he has been recognized far more widely in recent years, adding that since early 2023, chess has “just kept showing up in everybody’s algorithms.” He also pointed out that the pandemic changed the chess world: the focus has shifted away from purely classical formats toward a more diverse landscape in which speed chess, rapid, and blitz events have become much more popular. In addition to the blindfold match and discussion, the event featured interactive exhibition games, giving spectators the chance to play against Carlsen or Nakamura in short, fun matches. All three masters played several blitz games, much to the delight of the audience. Written by IM Michael Rahal, Barcelona, Spain Photos: BETBY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnohw2JeIUs&t=3426s