Esports World Cup 2026 Chess: Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin Reach Playoffs

Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin reached the Esports World Cup 2026 chess playoffs, joining Carlsen, Nakamura, Firouzja and Abdusattorov in the last eight.

The chess event at the Esports World Cup 2026 has finished its group stage, and two Indian grandmasters are through to the playoffs. Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin both fought their way into the final eight, alongside Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Hans Niemann and Denis Lazavik.

This event uses a very fast time control: 10 minutes per player for the whole game, with no increment. With no extra seconds added after each move, players must manage their clocks very carefully.

The groups were played as double-elimination brackets. Winning matches in the upper bracket gave a direct path to the playoffs. A player who lost once dropped into the lower bracket and could still qualify by winning there.

In Group A, Nodirbek Abdusattorov qualified without losing a match, beating India's Pranesh M and then Jan-Krzysztof Duda by two games to nil. Alireza Firouzja also came through the upper bracket after close matches against Wei Yi and Arjun Erigaisi. Arjun lost that match but answered in the lower bracket, beating Pranesh M two games to nil to qualify. Nihal Sarin took the long road. He beat Wei Yi in a deciding game and then defeated Duda to book his place.

In Group B, Magnus Carlsen beat Andrey Esipenko and Hans Niemann to qualify through the upper bracket. Hikaru Nakamura did the same against Alexey Sarana and Denis Lazavik. Niemann and Lazavik then won their lower-bracket matches to qualify too.

Nihal's path through the lower bracket teaches something about tournament play. Losing one match did not end his event, and he stayed calm enough to win the matches that followed. In any knockout or bracket event you might lose a game early. What matters is resetting your mind for the next one instead of carrying the disappointment with you.

The quarterfinals start next: Nakamura plays Arjun and Carlsen faces Nihal.