Nihal Sarin qualifies for Esports World Cup 2025 Chess in Riyadh

Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has earned his spot at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025 Chess tournament after a superb performance in the Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ).

The 21-year-old from Thrissur, representing S8UL Esports, became the only Indian player to qualify through this stage and will now join 15 of the world’s top grandmasters, including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Arjun Erigaisi, when the main event begins July 29 to August 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nihal’s qualification completes the 16-player roster for the $1.5 million chess event, part of the wider Esports World Cup 2025 series.

The tournament will use a rapid 10+0 time control format, with four groups of four players competing in a double-elimination system before advancing to single-elimination playoffs.

The Grand Final will be contested as a best-of-three sets showdown.

To reach Riyadh, Nihal navigated a tense qualification path.

He scored 5.5 points in the LCQ group stage to make the playoffs, then produced a dramatic comeback win over Belarus’ Denis Lazavik in the Round of 16, taking the match 1.5–0.5 after delivering a checkmate from a losing position.

He followed that with another 1.5–0.5 victory against Dutch star Anish Giri in the quarterfinals, and sealed qualification by defeating Russia’s Andrey Esipenko 2.5–1.5 in the winners’ bracket final.

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Speaking after qualifying, Nihal said he was thrilled to reach the world stage:

“I’m incredibly happy to have qualified for the Esports World Cup 2025. The competition was intense, and the format tested every aspect of my game. I’m thankful to S8UL for believing in me and backing me on this journey.”

The milestone also underscores S8UL Esports’ rise as a force in Indian gaming. As the only Indian organisation part of the EWC Club Partner Program, S8UL has teams across Apex Legends, EAFC, and Tekken 8, in addition to chess.

Nihal’s qualification adds to a strong 2025 season for him, which already includes winning the Tashkent Open and finishing runner-up at the Asian Individual Chess Championship.

Currently none of the leading esports betting sites have odds for the event.