Mumbai, Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has qualified for the chess event of the upcoming Esports World Cup in Paris through the Champions Chess Tour leaderboard.
Representing esports and gaming content outfit S8UL, Sarin has joined teammate Aravindh Chithambaram, becoming only the second Indian player to qualify for the prestigious tournament so far.
This year's EWC chess competition will have a prize pool of USD 1.5 million and will take place from August 11 to 15.
Nihal secured 139 points in the standings to secure his berth at the EWC 2026, after a standout second-place finish in the Spring Split and consistent performances across the TTGP circuit.
The top three players from both SCC and CCO secured direct qualification to the EWC, while players finishing between fifth and ninth in SCC, along with the remaining participants in CCO, earned points toward the CCT leaderboard.
Nihal was one of only two Indians representing the country at the EWC 2025 after qualifying through the Last Chance Qualifier, and he is looking forward to competing against some of the very best players in the world once again.
