R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi (Special Arrangement) NEW DELHI: The memories of 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov sweeping past his challengers in the Candidates tournament were still raw when 30-year-old Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov overcame him 3-0, remarkably achieved lying on the bed, online last week at the Chess.com Open, scheduled for the 20th EWsport Worlds. will be held from August 11 to August 15, 2026.This defeat effectively ended Sindarov’s run in the tournament without much opposition. It was business as usual for Magnus Carlsen on Sunday, as the five-time world champion and reigning Esports World Cup winner defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda to lift the title and effortlessly continue his dominant form. Belarusian grandmaster Denis Lazavik, on the other hand, defeated Indu Nihal Sarin and finished third.
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The frustrating math behind qualifications
Esports World Cup 2026 has 21 slots. It includes the reigning champion, the top three from the Speed Chess Championship, the top three from the Chess.com Open, four players from Road to EWC – DreamHack Atlanta and the remaining players via CCT Circuit Points followed by the Last Chance qualifier.As elite players such as Carlsen and Lazavik tend to dominate multiple qualifying events, additional spots will move into the Circuit Points standings.This puts huge pressure on Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa, who all played in the inaugural Esports World Cup last year, to maintain a high level of consistency in the online season.Speaking to TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interaction, Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Gaming Officer of The Esports Foundation, said that the system was designed to be elite.“Half of the field is made up entirely of players who have qualified through the CCT rankings to ensure both equal representation and the presence of many of the best chess players in the world,” he said.The way to World Cup in esports in chess 2026
- EWC 2025 Champion – Automatic spot for reigning champion Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid)
- Speed Chess Championship 2025 – Qualifiers include Alireza Firouzja (Team Falcons) and Denis Lazavik (All Gamers) (Carlsen has already qualified)
- Chess.com Open 2026 – Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Weibo Gaming) qualifies (Carlsen, Lazavik already qualified)
- Road to EWC – DreamHack Atlanta – 4 spots available
- Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) – 4 final spots are up for grabs
- CCT 2025-26 Circuit Points – 9 players (excluding those already qualified) qualify based on season-long ranking
Nihal Sarin, India’s brightest prospect on the scene
Nihal Sarin remains India’s brightest hope in this digital frontier. For him, the shift from a physical board to a digital interface is all about convenience.“Some players just feel much more comfortable in the comfort of their home, in front of their laptop in their setup with a mouse in hand,” Sarin told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interview. “I like it too. Maybe from the comfort of your own home. It’s just a different feeling.”
Nihal Sarin (special arrangement)
Sarin’s involvement with Team S8UL, one of India’s most prominent esports organizations, remains crucial as Chess seeks to establish itself in the electronic gaming scene.“It was a huge honor to be approached by Team Soul,” Sarin admitted. “They make you feel at home, which is extremely important for this connection. Ideally, the team should become a family.”
Introduction to the Esports Nations Cup (ENC)
While the World Individual Championship is all about representing elite clubs, esports chess has gone a step further this year to introduce the Esports Nations Cup (ENC).This newly introduced format allows top players from up to 64 countries to compete. If India fails to get more players for the World Singles Championship, the ENC offers a guaranteed stage for an Indian representative to wear the national colours.According to Scheuermann, this was a strategic move to capitalize on the universal appeal of chess.“Almost every country understands this. In the ENC format, it becomes an advantage that allows us to introduce a national competition through a title that already has worldwide recognition,” he added.
Why 10+0 Rapid games?
The Esports World Cup and the upcoming Esports Nations Cup (ENC) have settled on a Rapid 10+0 (ten minutes per player with no boost) format.To traditionalists, the absence of increment (extra seconds added per turn) sounds like heresy, but to the world of esports, it’s the secret sauce.“The Rapid 10+0 format is perfect for delivering competitive chess to the esports audience,” Scheuermann revealed. “It introduces time pressure, which leads to more decisive moments. You naturally see more tension, more mistakes and more turning points.”
With no markup, online is clearly better than over-the-board
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin
Sarin agrees that without the safety net of an add-on, online chess becomes a better spectator sport compared to its overboard counterpart.“Without incremental, online is clearly better than over-the-board,” Sarin explained. “Across the board, it can honestly become a complete circus. Online, you don’t have to knock pieces down, you can move at your own pace, and you can move ahead. Timed moves give that extra gameplay element that the audience likes to see. There’s a lot of drama.”
“This format could be the future”: Nihal Sarin
The inclusion of chess in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh has fundamentally changed the broadcast experience. Players now wear noise-canceling headphones, sit in high-tech arenas and interact with a live audience that monitors the eval bar in real time.“I think this format, this esports format, makes chess even more interesting,” Sarin noted.
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Evolution is already underway. From dubious lying-in-bed winning games to ugly but exciting time scrambles where mouse speed determines the winner, chess has found its digital soul.While the rankings currently lack an Indian name for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the upcoming CCT circuit and Last Chance Qualifiers offer plenty of opportunities for redemption.READ ALSO: The making of India’s 95th CEO: Aronyak Ghosh, from chasing fees for the next tournament to helping parents“Some players are naturally more comfortable with a mouse… some find it very relaxing. I think this format could be the future where viewers can watch players’ expressions closely, listen to commentary and see them battle it out on screen. It’s a different feeling,” Sarin sighed.
