Moonton Games’ Auto Chess title, Magic Chess Go Go (MCGG), made history at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
Held on 12 December 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, the demonstration match cemented MCGG’s status as the first-ever mobile Auto Chess game to be featured at the region’s premier multi-sport event.
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This marks a pivotal moment for strategy esports as it appears alongside traditional sports and Moonton’s most popular MOBA 5v5 title, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).
As the first mobile Auto Chess title at the Games, MCGG highlighted how accessible, intellectually focused esports can stand alongside established sporting disciplines on a major regional stage. This format enabled athletes from diverse backgrounds to compete equally, reinforcing the SEA Games’ core principles of unity, fairness, and inclusivity.
Auto Chess finally gets recognition! What happened during the Magic Chess Go Go matches at 33rd SEA Games
The inaugural exhibition concluded with a compelling “Battle of Wits,” seeing Malaysia’s Muhamad Arif Bin Baharun and Fazley Chong claim victory.
They outperformed formidable competitors from Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines in the game’s signature single-player, strategy-driven format. The team from the Philippines secured second place, with Indonesia finishing third in the final standings.
Following the win, Muhamad Arif Bin Baharun of Team Malaysia expressed his excitement, noting that participating in the MCGG event at the 33rd SEA Games was “the dream of every MCGG player.” He added that their hard work and participation demonstrate that “everyone has a chance” and hoped it would motivate those who watched.
Fazley Chong of Team Malaysia added that this marked the start of a journey, expressing hope that the victory would help expand the community and lead to more MCGG tournaments for Malaysia.
The SEA Games showcase underscores MCGG’s impressive growth since its global release earlier this year. Within just two weeks of launching, the game exceeded 30 million downloads and later secured the 2025 Google Play “Best Game Award” across key markets including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
This success solidified its position as one of the year’s most influential game releases. Today, its competitive structure includes international, regional, national, and grassroots levels.
The game’s inaugural global tournament, the GO1 World Championship, is highly anticipated, with its Grand Finals set for January 25, 2026 at the M7 Carnival in Jakarta, marking the next transition from regional recognition to a global championship stage.
Mobile Legends returns to the SEA Games for the fourth time as an official medal event, cementing its status as a regional esports staple. Last year’s tournament in Cambodia broke previous viewership records for both men’s and women’s competitions, affirming that competitive gaming is on par with traditional sports.
With nearly every Southeast Asian nation fielding teams in both categories, this year’s edition is the largest yet.
