Chess has long been a part of esports, and the Esports World Cup is proving that for the second time in a row. From August 11th to 15th, the EWC 2026 chess competition is taking place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, played in the fast-paced Rapid format with a ten-minute time control and no increment. Today marks the start of the preliminary round, known as the Play-In.
A total of 22 players are competing, split between the Play-In and the Main Round. A prize pool of 1.5 million US dollars is at stake – making it one of the highest-paying payouts for a single chess tournament ever.
How Today's Play-In Day Unfolds
- 14 players have already directly qualified for the 16-player Group Stage.
- 8 additional players will battle it out today in the Play-In for the last two remaining spots in the main draw.
- The Play-In will be played in a double-elimination format, with the winner securing a direct slot in the main event.
- Among the players already seeded for the Group Stage are Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Arjun Erigaisi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
- Defending champion Magnus Carlsen is seeded for the Group Stage and will therefore not participate in today's Play-In.
Why Carlsen's Title Defense Will Be Especially Exciting
A year ago, Magnus Carlsen won the very first Esports World Cup chess competition in Riyadh, making a clear statement that classic mind sports can indeed hold their own on the esports calendar. The fact that organizers are not only repeating the format for 2026 but also moving it to Paris and featuring an even larger field shows that chess is no longer just a filler at the EWC, but a permanent fixture with its own dedicated audience. From our perspective, the starting field alone makes this year's edition one of the strongest Rapid competitions of the year – with Nakamura, Firouzja, and Nepomniachtchi, several players who have seriously challenged Carlsen in the past are competing. The Group Stage and Playoffs will take place on August 14th and 15th, leaving plenty of time in between to see who else joins from today's Play-In. The EWC 2026 is also in full swing for other titles – among others, we've already reported on the ongoing Rainbow Six Siege Group Stage and on the first Black Ops 7 playoff tickets.
Are you following the EWC chess tournament? Discuss with us in the comments who will make it from the Play-In into the Group Stage!
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