New Delhi, August 13: The race for the Chess Playoffs at the Esports World Cup 2026 enters a crucial phase on Thursday, with Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Pranesh M fighting through the Lower Bracket for a place in the knockout stage.
The trio endured mixed fortunes on the opening day in Group A and will now have little room for error. Only two players from each group's Lower Bracket will make it through to the Playoffs.
Arjun, who represents Gen.G Esports, started strongly with a 2-0 victory over fellow Indian Nihal Sarin of S8UL Esports. The result marked a repeat of their meeting in last year's EWC Group Stage.
However, Arjun's progress through the Upper Bracket was halted by Team Falcons' Alireza Firouzja. The two Grandmasters
were locked at 1-1 before Firouzja won the Armageddon tiebreaker to seal his place in the Playoffs. Arjun consequently dropped into the Lower Bracket, while Nihal was already placed there after his opening defeat.
Pranesh M, another member of the S8UL Esports roster, also suffered an early setback. He was beaten 2-0 by Natus Vincere's Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The Uzbek star then produced another 2-0 victory against Weibo Gaming's Jan-Krzysztof Duda to become the first player from Group A to qualify for the Playoffs.
Firouzja joined Abdusattorov as Group A's second confirmed qualifier.
The opening day also saw defending champion Magnus Carlsen make a strong start to his title defence in Group B. Representing Team Liquid, Carlsen defeated Virtus.pro's Andrey Esipenko 1.5-0.5 before recording an identical score against GodLike Esports' Hans Moke Niemann to secure his Playoffs spot.
Team Falcons' Hikaru Nakamura also progressed after beating Fnatic's Alexey Sarana and AG.AL's Denis Lazavik by a 1.5-0.5 scoreline.
The Lower Bracket now takes centre stage as the remaining players battle for the final four Playoffs berths. In Group A, Nihal will take on Team Nemesis' Wei Yi, while Pranesh faces Team MGD1's Benjamin Bok. Arjun and Duda will await the winners in the subsequent Lower Bracket deciders.
Group B will see Esipenko meet Aurora Gaming's Ian Nepomniachtchi, while Team Stallions' Sina Movahed takes on Sarana. Denis Lazavik and Niemann will then face the winners in the decider matches.
When Will The EWC Chess Playoffs Take Place?
The EWC Chess Playoffs are scheduled for August 14 and 15. The knockout stage will follow a single-elimination format, with the quarterfinals played over four games and the semifinals featuring six games.
The Grand Final will be contested over a best-of-three-sets format. The first two sets will consist of four games each, while a third set, if required, will feature two games.
With four of the eight playoff places already confirmed, the remaining contenders will fight for the final four spots and a chance to compete for the EWC Chess title and a share of the $1.5 million prize pool, worth approximately INR 14.3 crore.
