Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Chess is officially becoming a major part of the esports world as the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has confirmed that chess will be one of 16 competitive titles at the first-ever Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC). The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to November 29, 2026.This marks a big step for chess, as more countries and new players will get a chance to compete on a global esports stage.
When and how will it happen?
The chess tournament will run for one week, from November 2 to November 8, 2026.Here’s how the competition will work:
- 128 players will compete in the tournament.
- They will first be split into 16 groups of 8 players each.
- The top 4 players from each group will move on to the next round.
After that:
- 64 players will enter a knockout playoff bracket.
- Matches early on will be best-of-two games, while quarterfinals and later rounds will be best-of-four games.
- If players are tied, Armageddon games (a special tie-breaker format) will decide the winner.
- All games will use a Rapid 10+0 time control, meaning each player has 10 minutes with no added time per move.
How will players qualify?
A total of 128 players from different nations will compete. Here’s where they’ll come from:
- 64 players will be invited directly based on
Champions Chess Tour (CCT) rankings. - 56 players will qualify through
online regional tournaments . - 8 players will get Wildcard invitations.
Only one player per country can get a direct invite through rankings. If a country doesn’t have a ranked player, it can still qualify up to two players through the regional qualifiers.The deadline for ranking-based invites is May 26, 2026.Regional QualifiersRegional qualifiers will take place on:
- June 6–7, 2026
- June 13–14, 2026
Each region will send 8 players to the main event. The regions include:
- North America
- South America
- Africa
- Western Europe
- Eastern Europe
- Middle East + India + Central Asia
- East Asia + Southeast Asia + Oceania
These qualifiers will be run by Chess(dot)com.Chess joined the Esports World Cup in 2025 and instantly became a fan favourite. It showed how the world’s oldest strategy game is finding a new audience in the digital age.At the 2025 event, Magnus Carlsen won the first Esports World Cup chess title for Team Liquid. 20 countries were represented in the main event and qualifiers.India’s top-ranked player Arjun Erigaisi shared his excitement about chess becoming an esport: “Playing for Gen.G at the Esports World Cup was a great experience for me. The energy there was amazing, and unlike any chess tournament I’ve played before. It’s really exciting to see chess becoming part of the esports world and reaching so many new people. I’m looking forward to the Esports Nation Cup and can’t wait to start competing again.“
