Esports World Cup 2026: Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin finish in top 8 as India’s campaign in chess ends

Paris, Aug 14 (IANS) India’s challenge in the Chess tournament at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 came to an end in the quarterfinals, with Gen.G Esports’ Arjun Erigaisi and S8UL Esports’ Nihal Sarin both losing their respective matches and finishing among the tournament’s top eight players. 

Erigaisi was edged out by Team Falcons’ Hikaru Nakamura in an armageddon tiebreaker, while defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Team Liquid defeated Sarin 2.5-0.5.

Erigaisi’s quarterfinal against Nakamura was a repeat of last year’s third-place match, which the American Grandmaster had won. The two players were closely matched throughout the regulation games, with all four ending in draws as neither could establish an advantage. The deadlock sent the match to Armageddon, where Hikaru, playing with the White pieces, sealed the victory with a checkmate to secure his place in the semifinals.

The other Indian in the quarterfinals, Sarin, faced Carlsen in a rematch of last year’s knockout encounter, which the Norwegian Grandmaster had won. On that occasion, the opening game ended in a draw before Carlsen claimed the next two. This time, the Norwegian won the first two games, while the third ended in a draw to secure a 2.5-0.5 victory and a place in the semifinals.

The remaining quarterfinals saw AG.AL’s Denis Lazavik defeated Natus Vincere’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov in an Armageddon tiebreaker, while Team Falcons’ Alireza Firouzja overcame GodLike Esports’ Hans Moke Niemann 2.5-1.5. Hikaru will now face Lazavik in the semifinals, while Carlsen will take on Alireza in a rematch of last year’s final.

Erigaisi and Sarin’s top 8 finishes see each player take home $75,000 (INR 71.5 lakh) in prize money, with India fielding its biggest Chess contingent yet at the EWC. S8UL Esports’ Pranesh M, who exited the competition in the Lower Bracket a day earlier, secured $55,000 (INR 52.5 lakh), while his S8UL teammate Aravindh Chithambaram, who was eliminated in the Play-Ins, took home $23,000 (INR 21.9 lakh) from the total $1.5 million (INR 14.3 crore) prize pool.

The playoffs continue with a single-elimination format, with the semifinals consisting of six games. The grand final will be contested over a best-of-three sets format, with the first two sets featuring four games each and a potential third set consisting of two games.