New Delhi: The battle for a spot at the EWC Paris 2026 through the ‘India Rising: Road to EWC’ chess qualifier has boiled down to a blockbuster final between two established masters. India’s Vidit Gujrati will take on Benjamin Bock of the Netherlands. After a playoff that featured some of the biggest names in professional chess, both men secured their spots in the LAN finals in Mumbai. The winner of Saturday’s showdown will thus secure a coveted spot in the EWC 2026 finals stage, which has a total of 14 players. Indian Guru Aravind Chitambaram, Nihal Sarinand Arjun Erigaisi have qualified for the EWC main event. Vidit defeated the likes of M Pranesh and Raunak Sadhwani on his way to the top of the competition to seal his spot, while Bok arguably had the standout performance of the tournament, defeating Karthikeyan Murali and then knocking out India’s top-ranked Erigaisi.Ahead of this high-stakes showdown in Mumbai, TimesofIndia.com caught up with Vidit Gujrathi to discuss his qualifier journey so far, the growing convergence of chess and esports, the importance of India hosting the EWC qualifiers exclusively, and more. Apart from.Q: What was your first reaction when you heard about India Rising and its connection to EWC?I remember in May, I was planning some tournaments and I learned about the India Rising Championship. I am really happy because the final will be held in Mumbai. There are very few major events held in India so I am excited about this opportunity. At the same time, I knew it was going to be a tough journey because there were multiple qualifying stages. I hope to make it to the finals in India so my friends and family can come and see me compete in person.Q: How is this event different from a traditional chess tournament?Online events are very different compared to live chess. Additionally, the format is 10 minutes plus zero second increments, so the event is very different from traditional chess tournaments in that there are usually some increments even if you are short on time. Here you can have a perfect winning position, but with only 10 seconds left on the clock, you can still lose the game. So it requires different strategies and different ways of playing, which is very modern. This style of play has only surfaced in the past three to five years and is on the rise. So I can foresee that maybe there will be more incidents like this in the future.
Vidit Gujrathi talks chess in eSports (Image: TimesofIndia.com)
Q: How important is it for India to have its own path to the Esports World Cup?India is a chess powerhouse. We won an Olympic gold medal. We are the current champions. The world champion is from India, the Women’s World Cup champion is from India and challenger Vaishali is also from India. Therefore, India is very important in the world of chess. Considering the number of players, I think India is one of the best places. I think the competition is much more intense here and it makes sense for us to have our own path to the Esports World Cup. Since eSports is a global event, it is important for India to be represented in it. I think we are one of the most popular countries in chess, so it makes sense to host this event for India.Q: What is the toughest challenge in the qualifying stage?For me, the qualifying stage was not easy at all because the first qualifying round was nine rounds. I felt very rusty because I hadn’t played in a long time, and in the second round I lost a game, which shocked me. I made a comeback, but I’ve only had four draws in the last four games. It was an absolute miracle that I played the tie-break better than everyone else and I managed to get the last qualifying spot, which was 4th place.
Vidit Gujrathi on India’s influence on the world of chess (Image: TimesofIndia.com)
I think that moment might have changed everything. If my tie-break was worse, I wouldn’t be playing this tournament. So I had a little bit of luck there. The next day I played a lot better, but I really needed some luck in the initial qualifying session. I almost thought I missed the opportunity.Q: How important is the opportunity to play the offline finals in Mumbai?I don’t remember any big event other than the Global Chess League in Mumbai. Mumbai is the financial capital and important hub of India, so it makes sense to host global events there. I think the esports industry in India has been on the rise since the pandemic, and having a well-publicized offline final in Mumbai will definitely encourage more similar events to happen here. I’m glad to see this.Q: What does it mean to be EWC qualified at this stage of your career?The Esports World Cup is a very interesting event. Last year, I tried out for the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). I was leading the race, but in the last three rounds I messed up and fell behind. I was in Riyadh, having flown there specifically from the United States, and I was painfully aware that after all this effort, I still wouldn’t qualify. Now that I have another chance to advance, I’m really preparing myself for it. I hope I can succeed this time and all the hard work will pay off because the Esports World Cup has a very different audience than the usual tournaments. This is a unique opportunity and I really want to be a part of it.
Vidit Gujrathi on the potential of esports in India
Q: How do you see the relationship between chess and esports evolving?I think chess has this untapped opportunity. No other sport has thrived like chess during the pandemic because it can be played online, and esports is perfect for it.Last year, if I remember correctly, chess was one of the most watched games, at least in the top five or ten, and this was only its first year. Many other sports have been part of the eSports World Cup for years, and the fact that chess has been so enthusiastically received in its first year shows that the product has good market fit. Chess has a global audience, so viewership is spread all over the world. I feel we should explore more opportunities for esports and chess to work hand in hand. Q: Do you think India can become a global hub for eSports chess events?I think India is still far from becoming a global esports hub. You need a culture, like-minded people, and a complete ecosystem of organizers, players, sponsors, etc. Right now I feel like we haven’t had a major breakthrough in esports yet.Also read: ‘This is India’s moment’: Why the country of 1.4 billion now has a dedicated lane to the eSports World CupAlthough I know some esports players are living very good lives in different fields, we are slowly getting there. But I think we are still some way off from becoming a global hub. Getting to this stage requires more games, more grassroots work and more ratings. That said, I think this could happen within the next five years.
