Now Reading: Chess at Esports World Cup tests widening definition of the sport
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Chess at Esports World Cup tests widening definition of the sport
Chess has returned to the Esports World Cup in Paris for the 2026 edition, carrying USD 1.5 million in prize money and featuring players including Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and four Indian…
The Story in Brief
Chess has returned to the Esports World Cup in Paris for the 2026 edition, carrying USD 1.5 million in prize money and featuring players including Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and four Indian Grandmasters, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, Aravindh Chithambaram, and Pranesh M. The inclusion of chess, alongside 23 other titles, has prompted debate about what qualifies as an esport, given the game's centuries-old heritage and rules that did not originate in a digital publisher's studio.
Mike McCabe, COO and Deputy CEO of the Esports Foundation, told The Times of India that the EWC defines esports by community and competitive ecosystem, not by the medium. He noted that chess allows parents to share the tournament with children who may not play other video games. The 2026 event is the first EWC held outside Riyadh, after security concerns forced a last-minute shift to Paris.
The Indian Opinion
The hand-wringing over whether chess 'belongs' at an esports event misses the real story. The EWC is not diluting competitive gaming, it is using chess to capture a generation of viewers who never installed a single app. The test is not whether the board looks odd next to a screen, but whether more people watch, play, or argue about the game afterward. That, by any measure, is a win for esports and for chess. Will the addition of traditional games like chess bring in more first-time spectators than the core video-game titles do next year? That number will settle the question.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
