Heartbreak for Indian chess fans as Vidit Gujrathi fell in Mumbai; Benjamin Bok has sealed a spot for the 2026 World Esports Championship

Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi (PTI Photo) Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi’s quest to qualify for the Esports World Championship (EWC) 2026 ended in heartbreak when Dutch Grandmaster Benjamin Bok edged him 2-1 in straight sets in the India Rising: Road to EWC final at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai last Saturday.Bok sealed the only qualification spot from India’s trip to the 2026 World Esports Championship in Paris, joining an elite field of 22 players. India already have three players qualified for the main tournament: Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi. Vidit entered the clash on top after impressive wins over M Pranesh and Raunak Sadhwani, while Bok put in one of the standout performances of the tournament to knock out Karthikeyan Murali and India’s No.1 Arjun Erigaisi.Before the final, Vidit spoke about how much qualifying for the EWC meant after narrowly missing out last year.“The Esports World Cup is a very interesting tournament. I tried to play the Last Chance qualifier last year. I was leading the tournament, but I messed up in the last three rounds and crashed out,” he told TimesofIndia.com.“I flew to Riyadh specifically from the US and it was very painful to know that after all that effort I couldn’t qualify. Now I have another chance to qualify… I hope I can do it this time.”The Indian Grandmaster also emphasized the importance of hosting the LAN Finals in Mumbai.“There are very few big tournaments in India so I was excited about this opportunity. I was hoping to make it to the finals in India so that my friends and family can come and see me play in person,” he said.Players will have one more chance to make it to the Esports World Cup later this year through the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), where the last five spots in the main event will be up for grabs.