# Four Indian Grandmasters set for Esports World Cup chess event

2026-08-07T05:34:04+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Four Indian Grandmasters will compete in the chess tournament at the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris from August 11 to 15. Nihal Sarin, Aravindh Chithambaram and Pranesh M will represent S8UL Esports, while Arjun Erigaisi will play for Gen.G Esports. Nihal, Pranesh and Arjun qualified directly for the Group Stage through the Champions Chess Tour 2025-2026. Aravindh qualified through DreamHack Atlanta and will start in the Play-In stage. The field includes defending champion Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hans Niemann. The event carries a USD 1.5 million prize pool. Last year, Nihal reached the quarterfinals and Arjun finished fourth. The revised format begins with a nine-player Play-In, followed by a 16-player Group Stage and knockouts.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com <https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/others/four-indian-grandmasters-eye-esports-world-cup-glory-in-paris-101786076772548.html>
- sportstar.thehindu.com <https://sportstar.thehindu.com/chess/esports-world-cup-2026-arjun-erigaisi-indian-grandmasters-chess/article71316272.ece>

Tags: Arjun Erigaisi, Chess, Esports World Cup, Indian Grandmasters, Magnus Carlsen
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