Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has qualified for the chess event of the upcoming Esports World Cup in Paris, set to take place from August 11 to 15. Sarin, representing esports and gaming content outfit S8UL, secured his spot through the Champions Chess Tour leaderboard.
Qualification Process
Sarin narrowly missed out on direct qualification through the Chess.com Open 2026, finishing fourth, but accumulated crucial leaderboard points from the event and consistent performances across the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix circuit.
Esports World Cup Details
The EWC chess competition will feature a prize pool of USD 1.5 million and will be held in a revised two-phase format, with a Play-In stage and a Group Stage. The top-performing players from the Play-In stage will advance to the Group Stage, where 16 players will compete in double-elimination brackets with two-game matches.
Source: Nihal Sarin qualifies for Esports World Cup’s chess event
