Indian chess will have its largest-ever representation at the Esports World Cup (EWC) Chess tournament, with four Grandmasters set to compete at EWC 2026 in Paris from August 11 to 15.
Grandmasters Nihal Sarin, Aravindh Chithambaram and Pranesh M, representing S8UL Esports, will be joined by Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi, who will compete for Gen.G Esports. The four players will take on an international field for a share of the USD 1.5 million (approximately INR 14.2 crore) prize pool.
Nihal Sarin, Pranesh M and Arjun Erigaisi secured direct qualification to the Group Stage through their performances in the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) 2025–2026. Aravindh Chithambaram qualified through DreamHack Atlanta and will begin his campaign in the Play-In stage.
This year’s edition marks India’s biggest participation in the Esports World Cup Chess tournament. In 2025, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi were the only Indian representatives. Nihal reached the quarterfinals after qualifying through the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), while Arjun, who qualified through the Champions Chess Tour, finished fourth.
The Chess competition returns to the Esports World Cup with an updated format featuring a new Play-In stage. Nine players who qualified through the Last Chance Qualifier and DreamHack Atlanta will compete in a double-elimination bracket, with each match consisting of two games.
The top performers from the Play-In stage will advance to the 16-player Group Stage, joining players who qualified directly through the Champions Chess Tour and other qualifying events. The Group Stage will feature two groups of eight players, with each group following a double-elimination format. The top four players from each group will qualify for the Playoffs.
The Playoffs will be played in a single-elimination format, with quarterfinals consisting of four-game matches and semifinals featuring six-game matches. The tournament champion will be decided in a Grand Final played across three sets.
The field includes defending champion Magnus Carlsen, representing Team Liquid, along with Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja of Team Falcons, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Natus Vincere, Hans Moke Niemann of GodLike Esports, and several other Grandmasters.
With four Indian players in the competition, India will look to improve on last year’s performances as it competes for its first Esports World Cup Chess title.
