The organizers of the Esports World Cup Foundation have finally released details of exactly how the chess elite will break the scene in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is preparing to host the grandmasters at the end of this year — and it will be powerful, to tell the truth. The entire tournament will take place from August 11 to August 15, where top strategists will compete for a prize pool of 1.5 million US dollars, which is an impressive figure for chess in an esports package.
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How to get into the game: selection screen and quotas?
Magnus Carlsen, representing Team Liquid, has already booked his place as the current winner of last year. Others will have to work hard. By the way, the qualifying cycle is tied to key events: 3 slots will be given for the Speed Chess Championship and the global championship from Chess.com , and 6 more people will get through the Champion Chess Tour rating. Along the way, EWCF can still throw in invitations — this is esports, surprises are the norm here.
What to expect from the World Chess Championship in esports?
The very structure of the event looks like a real maze for survival. First, there will be a Play-In for 8 participants in the GSL format — two games per meeting — and then the main group meat grinder will begin. There, 16 players will be divided into two baskets, where the Double Elimination system will eliminate the weak ones. As a result, only the top 8 will qualify for the final playoffs, where the number of games in the matches will grow from 4 to 6, actually.
The winner will be determined in the grand final, where the series goes up to two wins. Interestingly, chess is now on a par with such titans as Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends and League of Legends. In fact, we can see how the classic game has finally mutated into a full—fledged EWC 2026 discipline – and this is probably just the beginning of a major expansion. In addition, it is worth considering that such prizes will attract absolutely all the stars of the first magnitude, so the spectacle in Riyadh is guaranteed.
