Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Four Indian Grandmasters Chase Chess Glory at Esports World Cup
Some very smart chess players are going to a big video game tournament called the Esports World Cup.
This year, the tournament will be held in Paris, a big city in France.
Four chess Grandmasters from India will take part, which is the most India has ever sent.
Their names are Nihal, Aravindh, Pranesh and Arjun.
They will play against the best chess players from around the world.
The winner and top players will share a huge prize of 1.5 million dollars.
A very famous chess player named Magnus Carlsen, who won last year, will be playing again.
The players will go through different rounds, and the person who wins the final gets the big prize.
India hopes one of its players can win the chess title for the first time.
Four Indian Grandmasters — Nihal Sarin, Aravindh Chithambaram, Pranesh M and Arjun Erigaisi — will compete in the Chess tournament at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris.
The tournament is scheduled from August 11 to 15 in Paris, featuring a USD 1.5 million (~INR 14.2 crore) prize pool.
Nihal, Pranesh and Arjun qualified directly to the Group Stage through the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) 2025-2026, while Aravindh earned his place via DreamHack Atlanta and starts in the Play-In stage.
This is India's largest-ever EWC contingent, doubling last year's two-player representation and marking a milestone for Indian chess at the event.
Defending champion Magnus Carlsen leads a strong field including Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hans Moke Niemann.
The competition features a new two-phase format with Play-In, Group Stage, Playoffs and a Grand Final decided over three sets.
- Who
- Four Indian Grandmasters — Nihal Sarin, Aravindh Chithambaram, Pranesh M and Arjun Erigaisi — alongside defending champion Magnus Carlsen and other top Grandmasters.
- What
- The Chess tournament at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026.
- When
- August 11 to 15, 2026.
- Where
- Paris.
- Why
- To compete for a share of the USD 1.5 million prize pool and challenge for India's first-ever EWC Chess title.
- Event
- Esports World Cup 2026 Chess tournament
- Location
- Paris
- Dates
- August 11-15
- Prize Pool
- USD 1.5 million (~INR 14.2 crore)
- Indian Contingent
- 4 Grandmasters — the country's largest-ever at the EWC
- Qualification Paths
- CCT 2025-2026 (Nihal, Pranesh, Arjun) and DreamHack Atlanta (Aravindh)
- Defending Champion
- Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid)
- Tournament Format
- Play-In, Group Stage, Playoffs and a three-set Grand Final