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Esports World Cup 2025: Indian Chess Stars Nihal Sarin And Aravindh Chithambaram Will Play For Team S8UL
India’s top chess talents, Sarin & Chithambaram, join Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh. Discover the prize pool, qualifiers, and more about EWC Chess.
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India’s top chess talents, Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram, are set to compete for S8UL Esports at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025. This marks a significant moment as chess will be played at the EWC for the first time. The event will occur in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24.
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Two Chess Stars from India Join the Global Stage
Aravindh Chithambaram, who is currently India’s No. 4 and ranked 11th in the world, has a strong FIDE rating of 2749. On the other hand, Nihal Sarin, ranked 8th in India and 40th globally, comes in with a rating of 2687.
Before them, Arjun Erigaisi had already made history by joining the roster of Gen.G, becoming the first Indian chess player to be signed by an esports organization.
Big Names, Big Moves in Chess Esports
The Esports World Cup 2025 is not just about new faces. Some of the biggest chess legends are also part of this exciting journey:
- Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana will play for Team Liquid
- Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja will be with Team Falcons
- Ian Nepomniachtchi will join Team Aurora
- Ding Liren, another former world champion, will play for LGD
Also, Carlsen is not only playing he will also be an ambassador for the event.
How Will Players Qualify for Chess at EWC 2025?
To make it to the main event in Riyadh, players have to go through the 2025 Champions Chess Tour (CCT). This tour will have two online events, one in February and another in May. The top 12 players from CCT will qualify directly. They will be joined by four more grandmasters from a final Last Chance Qualifier, making a total of 16 top players at the EWC chess finale.
Prize Pool
This is a huge moment for online chess. The total prize pool for the chess event at the Esports World Cup will be $1.5 million.
What is S8UL?
S8UL is one of India’s leading esports and gaming content organizations. It has made a big name worldwide, not just in chess. At the Esports World Cup 2025, S8UL will also compete in Tekken 8, Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, and EAFC 25. Recently, S8UL also revealed its Apex Legends team, which includes three Australian players Sharky, Jesko, and Legacy. Also, S8UL is the 3 time content group of the year.
What is the Esports World Cup?
The Esports World Cup is a stage for the top esports teams who compete across 24 of the world’s most famous games. The first edition happened in 2024 and now this year the event is bigger than ever.
This year, it will become the largest multi-title esports event in history, with over 2,000 players and 200 teams competing. The total prize pool is a massive $70 million.
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