NEW DELHI: The traditional boundaries of Indian sports are rapidly expanding into the digital realm, with India Rising: Road to EWC, a collaboration between JioBLAST, Chess.com, and the Esports World Cup (EWC) Foundation, emerging as the latest expression of the country’s growing esports ambitions.Through the India Rising event, India secured a permanent qualification path on the official World Esports World Cup roadmap, with Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi facing Dutch Grandmaster Benjamin Bok in Saturday’s top-flight clash for a coveted spot in the 14-player Esports. Chess World Cup list The choice to use chess as the initial catalyst for this integration is entirely deliberate.Indian chess is currently experiencing an unprecedented golden era, a competitive reality that Grandmaster Vidit believes makes the country the ideal starting point for a major global export gateway.“India is a powerhouse when it comes to chess. We won the Olympic gold medal. We are the current champions. The World Champion is from India, the Women’s World Cup winner is from India, and the challenger Vaishali is also from India,” Gujrathi told TimesofIndia.com.“So India is very important in the chess landscape. With the large number of players also, I think that India is one of the first places. I feel that the competition is much higher here, and it makes a lot of sense that we have our own path to the World Cup of Esports. As Esports is such a global event, it is very important to have an Indian representation here.“Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, reveals that putting India on the global EWC roadmap was born out of a desire to create lasting value rather than a fleeting digital spectacle.“Early conversations were not just about bringing another tournament to India, but about creating meaningful opportunities for Indian players,” Cowdrey, when asked about his initial approach to creating a separate World Cup qualifier for India, told this website.“Chess felt like the natural place to start because India has one of the strongest chess ecosystems in the world, with incredible talent, a passionate fanbase and a new generation redefining the sport globally.”This strategic road integration comes at a time when the domestic market has reached what Cowdrey calls a “perfect storm”.India holds the second largest gaming market by player base, powered by a massive demographic advantage where 65% of the population is under the age of 35. It is a scale that global stakeholders can no longer afford to ignore.Mike McCabe, COO & Deputy CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, points out that the international organization is formally integrating India into its long-term plan because the country is actively driving the industry forward.“India is one of the most important growth markets in global esports. It combines enormous scale, a young and digitally connected population, globally competitive talent, and a gaming community that continues to expand every year,” observed McCabe. “We see India not only as a future market, but as a market that is already shaping the future of esports. When you look at the growth of esports as a global sport, it is difficult to imagine without India playing a major role in it.“However, creating an entirely new pipeline in many global organizations presented distinct behind-the-scenes obstacles.
India Rising: Road to EWC 2026 (Photo by Chess.com)
Cowdrey notes that lining up international partners required meticulous problem-solving to balance competitive integrity with mainstream entertainment.“Whenever you’re building something that’s never been done before, alignment becomes one of the biggest challenges,” Cowdrey admitted. “We worked with several global partners, each bringing different expertise but united by the same ambition… Finding the right balance between competitive integrity, accessibility and fun required months of collaboration and planning with EWC, BLAST, Jio, Chess.com and more.“The ultimate goal of this road placement was to address a historic structural gap, the lack of a direct route for raw domestic talent to reach the highest international stages.“Countries that are successful in the long term are those that build durable structures around players rather than relying on short-term momentum,” explains McCabe. “India Rising creates something that every developing esports ecosystem needs: a credible path from grassroots competition to the global stage.”With JioBLAST recently signing an MoU with the Government of Maharashtra to explore long-term digital innovation and youth engagement, the roadmap is clearly built for the long haul.“The ultimate success marker for India Rising: Road to EWC will be to see Indian players and teams win on the global stage of the Esports World Cup in the coming years,” added Cowdrey.READ ALSO: Vidit Gujrathi Exclusive: “India is a chess powerhouse, but still far from becoming an esports hub”On Saturday, a win over Bok could make Gujrathi the fourth Indian to qualify for the EWC main event after Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi, and would surely be the cherry on top for Indian chess and esports fans.“This is India’s moment,” McCabe concluded. The country already has the talent, passion and scale to become one of the defining forces in global esports.”