NEW DELHI: The race for a place at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris through the India Rising: Road to EWC Chess qualifiers has boiled down to a blockbuster final between two established Grandmasters.India’s Vidit Gujrathi will take on Benjamin Bok of the Netherlands. Both have booked their places in the LAN Finals in Mumbai after coming through a stacked playoff field featuring some of the biggest names in professional chess. The winner of Saturday’s showdown will thus earn a coveted spot at the final stage of EWC 2026, which will include 14 players in total. Indian Grandmasters Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin, and Arjun Erigaisi have already qualified for the EWC main event.En route to the summit clash, Vidit defeated the likes of M Pranesh and Raunak Sadhwani to seal his spot, while Bok produced arguably the standout run of the tournament, defeating Karthikeyan Murali before knocking out India No. 1 Arjun Erigaisi.Ahead of the high-stakes Mumbai showdown, TimesofIndia.com caught up with Vidit Gujrathi to discuss his journey through the qualifiers so far, the growing convergence of chess and esports, the significance of India’s dedicated EWC qualifier, and much more. Excepts.Q. What was your first reaction when you heard about India Rising and its EWC connection?I remember in May, I was planning some tournaments, and I got to know about the India Rising Championship. I was really pleased because the finals were going to be held in Mumbai. There are very few major tournaments held in India, so I was excited about the opportunity. At the same time, I knew it would be a difficult journey because there were multiple qualifying stages. I was hoping to make it to the finals in India so that my friends and family could come and watch me play in person.Q. How different did this event feel compared to a traditional chess tournament?Online events are very different compared to over-the-board chess. Also, this format is 10 minutes plus zero-second increment, so this event is very different from traditional chess tournaments because, even if you get low on time, you usually have some increment. Here, you can have a completely winning position but only 10 seconds left on the clock, and you might still lose the game. So it requires a different strategy and a different kind of play, which is very modern. This style of play has only come to the surface in the last three to five years, and it’s picking up. So I can predict that maybe, in the future, there will be more events like this.
Vidit Gujrathi on chess in esports (Graphic by TimesofIndia.com)
Q. How important is it for India to have its own pathway to the Esports World Cup?India is a powerhouse when it comes to chess. We have won the Olympiad gold medal. We are the current champions. The World Champion is from India, the Women’s World Cup winner is from India, and challenger Vaishali is also from India. So India is very important in the chess landscape. With the sheer number of players as well, I think India is one of the top places. I feel the competition is much higher here, and it makes a lot of sense that we have our own pathway to the Esports World Cup. As esports is such a global event, it’s very important to have Indian representation there. I think we are among the favourites in the chess world, so it makes sense that we have this event for India.Q. What was the toughest challenge during the qualification stage?For me, the qualification stage was not easy at all because the first qualifier was a nine-round event. I was feeling very rusty as I had not played for a very long time and in the second round itself, I lost a game, which kind of shook me up. I made a comeback, but in the last four games, I could only manage four draws. It was by an absolute miracle that my tie-breaks were better than the others and I managed to get the last qualifying spot, which was fourth place.
Vidit Gujrathi on India’s influence on chess world (Graphic by TimesofIndia.com)
I think that moment could have changed everything. If my tie-breaks had been worse, I would not have been part of this tournament. So I had a bit of luck there. The next day, I played much better, but I definitely needed that luck in the initial qualifying phase. I almost thought that I had botched the opportunity.Q. How significant is the opportunity to play a LAN final in Mumbai?I don’t recall a big event apart from the Global Chess League being held in Mumbai. Mumbai is the financial capital of India and such a major hub, so it makes sense to have a global event there. I think the esports scene has been on the rise in India since the pandemic, and having a LAN final in Mumbai that garners a lot of attention will definitely encourage more events like these to happen here. I’m very pleased to see that.Q. What does qualifying for EWC mean at this stage of your career?The Esports World Cup is a very interesting tournament. Last year, I tried to play the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). I was leading the tournament, but in the last three rounds, I messed up and fell short. I was in Riyadh, I had flown there specifically from the US, and it was very painful to know that after all those efforts, I couldn’t qualify. Now I have another chance to qualify, and I’m really preparing well for it. I’m hoping that this time around I can make it and that all the efforts pay off because the Esports World Cup has a very different audience compared to usual tournaments. It’s a unique opportunity, and I would really love to be a part of it.
Vidit Gujrathi on India’s potential in esports
Q. How do you see the relationship between chess and esports evolving?I think chess has this untapped opportunity. No other sport was booming during the pandemic the way chess was because it could be played online, and esports is a very natural fit for it.Last year, if I remember the statistics correctly, chess was one of the top-viewed games, at least among the top five or top ten, and that was just in its first year. Many other sports have been part of the Esports World Cup for years, and for chess to receive such a warm reception in its first year showed that there is good product market fit. Chess has a global audience, so the viewership is spread throughout the world. I feel we should explore more opportunities for esports and chess working hand in hand. Q. Do you think India can become a global hub for esports-chess events?I think India is still far from being a global hub for esports events. You need to have a culture, like-minded people, and a complete ecosystem, including organisers, players, sponsors, and more. Right now, I feel we still haven’t had a major breakthrough when it comes to esports.ALSO READ: ‘This is India’s moment’: Why the nation of 1.4 billion now has a dedicated pathway to Esports World CupAlthough I know that a couple of esports players are leading very good lives in different domains, we are slowly getting there. But I feel we are still some way from becoming a global hub. It will require more tournaments, more grassroots work, and greater viewership to reach that stage. That said, I feel it could happen in the next five years.
