2 weeks ago
Indian chess players Arjun and Nihal exit Esports World Cup quarterfinals
There is a big video-game competition called the Esports World Cup.
This year it is happening in Paris, and for the first time chess is part of it.
Four chess players from India went to play there.
Two of them, Arjun and Nihal, played really well and reached the top eight players in the whole world.
Before they could reach the final, they had to win a quarterfinal game.
Sadly, both of them lost their quarterfinal matches.
Nihal lost to a very famous and powerful chess player named Magnus Carlsen.
Arjun was beaten before he could play his next opponent, Hikaru Nakamura.
The same thing happened last year when the competition was in Riyadh.
Nihal also lost to Carlsen last year, and Arjun also went out before facing his opponent again.
So this year ended the same way for the Indian chess players as last year did.
They were close to the top, but not quite close enough.
Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin were eliminated in the quarterfinals of chess at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026.
The EWC 2026 chess competition took place in Paris.
Nihal Sarin lost to Magnus Carlsen in the quarterfinals.
Arjun Erigaisi was knocked out before meeting Hikaru Nakamura as his final opponent.
Four Indians qualified for EWC 2026, with Arjun and Nihal the only two to reach the top eight.
- Who
- Indian chess grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin, along with opponents Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.
- What
- Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the chess competition at the Esports World Cup 2026.
- Where
- Paris, France.
- When
- During the Esports World Cup 2026.
- Why
- Both players lost their quarterfinal matches, with Nihal losing to Magnus Carlsen and Arjun knocked out before meeting Hikaru Nakamura.
Key facts
- Event
- Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 chess competition
- Location
- Paris
- Round
- Quarterfinals
- Eliminated players
- Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin
- Winning opponents
- Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura
- Indian qualifiers
- 4, of whom 2 reached the top eight
- Previous edition
- Riyadh (2025), where Arjun reached the semifinals and lost the third-place playoff








