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 come down to a blockbuster final between two established Grandmasters. India’s Vidit Gujrathi will face Netherlands’ Benjamin Bok. Both booked their spots in the LAN Finals in Mumbai after going through a playoff field stacked with some of the biggest names in professional chess. The winner of Saturday’s clash will thus earn a coveted spot in the final stage of EWC 2026, which will feature 14 players in total. Indian Great teachers Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarinand 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 place, while Bok produced arguably the standout run of the tournament, defeating Karthikeyan Murali before defeating India No. 1 Erigaisi.Ahead of the Mumbai affair, 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 the dedicated EWC qualifier in India, and much more. Except.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 happy because the final was held in Mumbai. There are very few major tournaments that are held in India, so I was excited about the opportunity. At the same time, I knew it would be a difficult journey because there are many qualifying stages. I was hoping to make it to the finals in India so my friends and family could come and see me play in person.Q. How different was this event compared to a traditional chess tournament?Online events are very different compared to the above chess. Also, this format is 10 minutes plus a zero second increment, so this event is very different from traditional chess tournaments because even though you are short on time, you usually have some increment. Here, you can have a completely winning position, but only 10 seconds from the clock, and you can still lose the game. So it takes a different strategy and a different kind of game, which is very modern. This style of play has only come to the surface in the last three to five years, and it’s taking off. So I can predict that maybe, in the future, there will be more events like this.
Vidit Gujrathi on Chess in Esports (Graphic from TimesofIndia.com)
Q. How important is it for India to have its own path to the Esports World Cup?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 challenger Vaishali is also from India. So India is very important in the chess landscape. With the large number of players also, I think India is one of the top 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 Esports World Cup. Since esports is such a global event, it is very important to have Indian representation. I think we are among the favorites in the world of chess, so it makes sense that we have this event for India.Q. What was the toughest challenge during the qualification phase?For me, the qualifying stage was not easy, because the first qualifier was a nine-lap event. I felt very rusty because I had not played for a long time and in the second round itself, I lost a game, which shook me. 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 others and I managed to get the last qualifying place, which was fourth place.
Vidit Gujrathi on India’s influence on the world of chess (Graphic from TimesofIndia.com)
I think that moment might have changed everything. If my tie-breaks were worse, I wouldn’t have been part of this tournament. So I got a little lucky there. The next day, I played much better, but I need that luck in the early qualifying phase. I almost think I missed the opportunity.Q. How significant is the opportunity to play a LAN final in Mumbai?I don’t remember any big event other than the Global Chess League being held in Mumbai. Mumbai is the financial capital of India and such an important center, so it makes sense to have a global event there. I think the esports scene is growing in India since the pandemic, and having a LAN final in Mumbai that is gaining a lot of attention will definitely encourage more events like these to happen there. I am very pleased to see that.Q. What does qualifying for EWC mean at this stage in 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 made mistakes and fell short. I was in Riyadh, I had flown here specifically from the United States, and it was very painful to know that after all those efforts, I could not qualify. Now I have another chance to qualify, and I have really prepared well for it. I hope that this time I can succeed and that all the efforts pay off because the Esports World Cup has a very different audience compared to the usual tournaments. It’s a unique opportunity, and I’d really like 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 like chess, 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 most viewed games, at least among the first five or top ten, and this was only 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 welcome in its first year has shown that there is a good product market. Chess has a global audience, so the show is spread around the world. I think 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 sporting events. You need to have a culture, like-minded people, and a complete ecosystem, including organizers, players, sponsors, and more. Right now, I feel like we haven’t had a major breakthrough yet when it comes to esports.READ ALSO: “This is India’s moment”: Why the nation of 1.4 billion now has a dedicated road to the Esports World CupAlthough I know a couple of esports players are making very good livings in different fields, we are slowly getting there. But I feel that we are still a short distance away from becoming a global center. It takes more tournaments, more ground work, and more spectators to get to that stage. That said, I feel it could happen in the next five years.
