Paris hosts Esports World Cup with chess as a unique inclusion
Esports World Cup Embraces Chess
The Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is showcasing competitive gaming, with chess notably included. This marks the second year chess has been part of the tournament, having been introduced in 2025. The 2026 chess tournament features a substantial USD 1.5 million prize pool.
Mike McCabe, COO and Deputy CEO of the Esports Foundation, views chess as a significant addition. He believes that what qualifies as an esport is determined by the community and ecosystem surrounding it. If a game played digitally has a strong competitive ecosystem, organized events, rankings, and spectator interest, it can be considered an esport.
McCabe emphasizes that the inclusion of chess does not mean it has become a video game. Instead, the focus is on its competitive nature, organized circuits, rivalries, and viewership. Chess brings centuries of tradition and established Grandmasters to the modern competitive sport setting of the EWC.
Indian Grandmasters Advance in Chess Tournament
Indian Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi have secured their places in the quarter-finals of the Esports World Cup chess tournament in Paris. Both players advanced through the lower bracket on the final day of the group stage. Nihal Sarin, representing S8UL Esports, defeated Wei Yi and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi, from Gen.G Esports, overcame Pranesh M in an all-Indian decider.
In the Play-In stage, GM Wei Yi (Team Nemesis) and Andrey Esipenko (Virtus.pro) advanced to the 16-player Group Stage. Wei Yi progressed by defeating Esipenko, GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, and GM Vladislav Artemiev without losing a game. Esipenko, after an initial loss to Wei, won four consecutive matches against GMs Liem Le, Alexander Grischuk, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Artemiev.
The Group Stage of the Esports World Cup began on Wednesday, August 12. The Play-In was a double-elimination knockout that saw eight players, five from the Last Chance Qualifier in Paris and three from DreamHack Atlanta, compete for two spots in the Group Stage. Each match consisted of two 10+0 games, with an Armageddon game to resolve ties.
Expanding the Vision for Esports
McCabe envisions a future where esports players achieve a level of recognition similar to that of IPL cricketers. He expressed a desire for players to be mobbed on the streets, highlighting the ambition for esports athletes to gain widespread fandom and recognition for their abilities. This goal is part of the reason the EWC has expanded beyond individual games to include clubs, teams, and broader organizational competitions.
The definition of games within the EWC is expected to evolve continually. McCabe is looking ahead five years, anticipating new games, formats, and competitions that do not currently exist. He believes that esports is not constrained in the same way traditional sports might be, allowing for a constantly new field of play to be explored.
The Esports World Cup features 24 games this year and boasts a record USD 75 million prize pool across the competition. The relocation of the 2026 EWC to Paris, following security concerns in Riyadh, demonstrated the event’s ability to operate beyond its home market, according to McCabe. The rapid pace of this move, which typically takes many months to prepare, highlighted the mobility of esports events.
The EWC Chess playoffs are scheduled to begin on Friday and conclude on Saturday, utilizing a single-elimination format.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
