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Chess will return to the Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2027 for the third consecutive year. The tournament will bring together some of the world’s top chess players in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they will compete for the championship title. Two-time EWC champion Magnus Carlsen will also return to compete for a third consecutive title.
According to an Esports World Cup press release today, Chess. com will once again partner with the Esports Foundation to determine the players who will qualify for EWC 2027. The qualification process will take place through an improved Champions Chess Tour 2026-2027 cycle.
Chess became part of the Esports World Cup in 2025 and has since attracted fans from both the esports and traditional chess communities. The 2026 edition saw Magnus Carlsen successfully defend his title in Paris. Representing Team Liquid, he defeated 19-year-old Denis Lazavik 2-0 in the Grand Final without dropping a single game.
Lazavik emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 tournament. He defeated Hikaru Nakamura in the semi-final to reach the Grand Final against Carlsen. His performance has made him one of the players to watch in the 2027 edition. He will enter the next competition as a member of AG.AL, the 2026 EWC Club Championship winner.
Apart from Carlsen and Lazavik, Nodirbek Abdusattorov will also be among the players to watch. Abdusattorov recently helped Uzbekistan win the Chess Olympiad 2026. Other notable players who could compete in the tournament include Hikaru Nakamura, Vincent Keymer, Wei Yi, Nihal Sarin, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
India also recorded its biggest-ever representation in the Chess competition at EWC 2026, with four Grandmasters taking part. Nihal Sarin, Aravindh Chithambaram and Pranesh M represented S8UL Esports, while Arjun Erigaisi competed for Gen.G Esports. Both Nihal and Arjun reached the quarter-finals.
Indian esports organisation GodLike Esports was also selected as an EWC Club Partner and was represented in the Chess competition by Hans Moke Niemann. India’s growing participation reflects the country’s increasing presence in competitive esports chess.
