The upcoming Esports World Cup (EWC) will see some of the world's top competitive gamers and garner interest from gaming enthusiasts from all over the globe. Also at the event will be some of the top names of a 1000-year-old sport that has seen a boost in popularity through digital matchplay and is transitioning into a new avatar. With Indian speed chess star Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram making their way to Team S8UL - the only Indian Esport body competing at the EWC in Saudi Arabia's capital city Riyadh from July 31 to August 4 - the buzz around chess becoming an Esport is only getting bigger. Three Indians, after Aravindh and Nihal, have signed with an Esports organisation for the highly anticipated world cup. The highest-ranked Indian, Arjun Erigaisi, previously signed with Gen.G, making him one of the first players to join an Esports organisation. How did chess become part of EWC? It started with a partnership announcement between the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and one of the largest online chess platforms, chess.com, in December 2024. The EWCF also appointed five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen as the Global Ambassador. The Esports World Cup brings together top esports clubs across 24 popular titles, featuring chess as an online event for the first time. On offer will be prize money of $1.5 million (≈₹12.8 cr) with a time control set to be 10 minutes for the entire game with no increment (10+0). How is an Esports chess event different from a regular online chess tournament? While traditional online chess events have players competing remotely from different locations, the EWC adopts a hybrid model. The top 16 players will gather physically in Riyadh but compete on computers in the LAN-style setup rather than over traditional boards. “This part of playing in the same place but playing on the computer is also rare in chess. It was tried out in the Champions Chess Tour in one of the years, all the players there were at the same place but playing online. At the end of the day, it is still chess. So it won't make a huge difference. But the difference that will be made will be the no increment rule,” explains Arjun. Are top chess players joining the Esports circuit? Which players are involved? The chess world's elite are enthusiastically embracing Esports. Multiple top GMs have already signed with prominent Esports organisations for the EWC. Team Liquid secured the legendary Magnus Carlsen and American star Fabiano Caruana, while Team Falcons boasts speed chess specialist Hikaru Nakamura and French phenom Alireza Firouzja. Other notable signings include Ian Nepomniachtchi with Team Aurora and former World Champion Ding Liren with LGD Gaming. Arjun himself was among the first chess players to join an Esports organisation, partnering with Gen.G. He explains his contract, "The contract is to play in the two Champions Chess Tour events and then if I don’t qualify, will play in the last-minute qualifier. And then to represent the club at the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia." What have been the traditional Esports disciplines? And which are the most famous Esports video games? Traditional Esports have historically focused on video game genres like first-person shooters (Counter-Strike, VALORANT), multiplayer online battle arenas (League of Legends, Dota 2), battle royales (PUBG/BGMI, Fortnite), and sports simulations (FIFA, NBA 2K). Wasn't Esports just about multiplayer video games? Originally, yes, but chess naturally became part of Esports too. Since chess works perfectly online and is highly competitive, it fits right in with other Esports. The digital format and exciting matches make it a great addition to competitive gaming. When was chess included in Esports? Chess's Esports journey gained momentum through platforms like chess.com and pioneering events such as the 2022 FTX Crypto Cup, which was part of the Champions Chess Tour where players played in a LAN set-up. What is FIDE's position on chess as an Esport? FIDE, chess's international governing body, has maintained an arms-length approach to Esports, neither endorsing nor opposing these developments. This reluctance and cautious distance stems partly from the involvement of private entities like chess.com in organising these events, and partly from historical tensions between FIDE and alternative chess circuits. Could there be conflicts between FIDE and Esports organisations over chess? Given FIDE's history of protecting its governance of competitive chess, tensions with Esports organisers could well be on the cards. The precedent set by the Freestyle Chess disputes, where FIDE objected to the unauthorised use of official titles like "World Champion", suggests the governing body might assert its authority if Esports events grow in prestige and influence. However, the current situation appears to be one of cautious coexistence, with Esports providing an alternative competitive platform that complements rather than directly challenges FIDE's traditional tournament structure.
