NEW DELHI: The race for a place in the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris by India Rising. The road to the EWC Chess qualifiers erupted into a blockbuster final between two established Grandmasters. India’s Vidit Gujrathi will take on Benjamin Bok of the Netherlands. Both have booked their spots at the LAN Finals in Mumbai after making it through a stacked playoff field featuring some of the biggest names in professional chess. The winner of Saturday’s showdown will receive a coveted spot in the final stage of EWC 2026, which will include 14 players in total. Indians: Grandmasters Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarinand Arjun Erigaisi has qualified for the EWC main event. Heading into the summit clash, Vidit beat the likes of M Pranesh and Raunak Sadhwani to seal his spot, while Bok produced perhaps the most remarkable run of the tournament, defeating Karthikeyan Murali before knocking out the India No. 1 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 integration of chess and esports, the importance of India’s dedicated EWC qualifier, and 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 found out about the India Rising Championship. I am very happy because the finals will be held in Mumbai. There are very few big tournaments held in India, so I am excited about the opportunity. At the same time, I know that it will be a difficult journey because there are many qualifying stages. I hope to make it to the finals in India so my friends and family can come and watch me play in person.Q. How different does 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 a zero-second increment, so this event is very different from traditional chess tournaments because, even if you are down on time, there are usually increments. Here, you could have a perfect winning position but only 10 seconds left on the clock, and you could 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 out in the last three to five years, and it’s growing. So I can predict that maybe in the future, there will be more events like this.
Vidit Gujrathi on esports chess (Graphic by 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 gold medal in the Olympiad. 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. So India is very important in the chess scene. Also with the number of players, I think India is one of the top places. I feel like the competition is very high here, and it means a lot that we have our own path to the Esports World Cup. As esports is a global phenomenon, it is important to have Indian representation there. I think we are one of the favorites in the world of chess, so it makes sense that we have this event for India.Q. What was the most difficult challenge during the qualification stage?For me, the qualification stage is not easy because the first qualifier is a nine-round event. I was feeling very rusty because I had not played for a long time and in the second round itself, I lost a match, which shook me. I came back, but in the last four games, I could only draw four. It was by an absolute miracle that my tie-breaks were better than others and I got the last qualifying spot, which was fourth place.
Vidit Gujrathi on India’s influence in the world of chess (Graphic by TimesofIndia.com)
I believe that moment will change everything. If my tie-breaks were worse, I wouldn’t have been in this tournament. So I had a little luck there. The next day, I played better, but I really needed that luck in the first part of qualifying. I thought I was wasting my time.Q. How important is the opportunity to play a LAN final in Mumbai?I don’t remember any big event except the Global Chess League which was held in Mumbai. Mumbai is the financial capital of India and as a major hub, so it makes sense to have a global event there. I think the esports scene has been growing in India since the pandemic, and having the LAN final in Mumbai get a lot of attention will definitely encourage more events like this to happen here. I am very happy to see that.Q. What does it mean to qualify for EWC 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 lost and failed. I am in Riyadh, I flew there specifically from the US, and it hurts to know that after all the efforts, I will not qualify. Now I have another chance to qualify, and I’m really preparing for it. I hope that this time I can do it and that all the efforts will pay off because the Esports World Cup has a very different audience compared to the usual tournaments. This is an amazing opportunity, and I would love to be a part of it.
Vidit Gujrathi on India’s potential in sports
Q. How do you see the relationship between chess and esports developing?I think chess has this untapped opportunity. No other game has evolved during the pandemic like chess because it can be played online, and esports is a natural fit for this.Last year, if I remember the statistics, chess was one of the most watched games, at least in the top five or top ten, and that was just the first year. Many other games have been part of the Esports World Cup over the years, and for chess to receive such a warm reception in its first year shows that there is a good product market. Chess has a global audience, so the audience is spread all over the world. I feel that we need to explore more opportunities for esports and chess to work together. Q. Do you think India can become a global hub for esports-chess events?I think India is still far from becoming a global hub for esports events. You need to have a culture, like-minded people, and a complete ecosystem, including organizers, players, sponsors, etc. So far, I feel like we haven’t had a big breakthrough when it comes to esports.ALSO READ: “This is India’s moment”. Why the country of 1.4 billion now has a dedicated channel to the Esports World CupAlthough I know a couple of esports players are leading very good lives in different domains, we are slowly getting there. But I feel we are still a way from becoming a global hub. It takes more tournaments, more work, and more viewers to reach that stage. That being said, I have a feeling it will happen in the next five years.