Mumbai: India’s top-ranked grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram will compete at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, as the duo is named in S8UL’s chess roster, the franchise said.
Making its debut at this year’s edition of the EWC, Chess will feature a total prize pool of USD 1.5 million (approximately Rs 12.9 crore), with Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen joining as the Global Ambassador.
The format will follow a rapid 10+0 time control, where each player will have 10 minutes per game with no increment. Players will qualify through the Champions Chess Tour’s February and May events, while a Last Chance Qualifier in Riyadh will determine the final four competitors.
Sarin, a 20-year-old chess prodigy from Thrissur, Kerala, is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents on the global chess circuit. He began playing at the age of six and rose to prominence after winning the World Youth Chess Championship in the under-10 category in Durban. Since then, he has delivered strong international performances, including a runner-up finish in the Chess dot com Global Championship in 2022.
Most recently, he clinched the President’s Cup 2024 and followed it up with an unbeaten title run at the Tashkent Open, scoring 8 out of 10. Nihal is currently ranked 8th in India and 40th in the world, with a FIDE rating of 2687.
Sharing his excitement, Sarin said, “Being part of the Esports World Cup is a new and exciting experience for me. Chess has traditionally lived in a very classical space, but the way it is now being embraced as part of the esports world opens up a whole new dimension for players and audiences alike. Representing India and S8UL on this global stage is an honour, and I look forward to this opportunity of taking the game I love to a much broader audience and inspire more young minds to pick it up.”
The 25-year-old Chithambaram, from Thirunagar in Madurai, started playing chess at the age of seven under the guidance of his grandfather and quickly climbed the ranks, winning the Indian Under-19 Championship at just 12 years old.
In 2013, he made headlines after winning his first major title at the Chennai Grandmaster International Open, followed by earning his International Master title in 2014 and becoming a Grandmaster in 2015.
Chithambaram later went on to win the National Premier Chess Championship twice, in 2018 and 2019. His 2019 victory was particularly historic, as he became the first Indian to win the Indian Open in all three formats, including classical, rapid and blitz.
Most recently, he won the 2025 Prague Chess Festival Masters and is currently ranked 4th in India and 11th in the world, with a FIDE rating of 2749.
“This moment is special not just for me but for Indian chess as a whole. Being part of S8UL’s lineup for the Esports World Cup reflects how far the game has come and how it continues to evolve. The fact that a mainstream esports organisation is investing in chess players shows the growing recognition of chess as both a competitive and spectator sport in the digital space. It feels great to be part of this new wave, and I hope to make my country proud on the global stage,” stated Chithambaram.
In addition to chess, S8UL will be participating in Apex Legends, EAFC 25, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Tekken 8 at EWC 2025. The organisation recently unveiled its Apex Legends roster, featuring the experienced trio of Sharky, Jesko, and Legacy, along with coach Rogers. Rosters for the remaining titles will be announced soon.
As the only Indian organisation to be selected for the Esports World Cup Foundation’s Club Partner Program and to have won ‘Content Group of the Year’ three times in a row at the Esports Awards, S8UL has redefined what it means to be both a competitive and creative powerhouse in the global gaming space.
Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug, co-founder and CEO of S8UL commented, “We are incredibly proud to be the first Indian team to step into the global esports chess arena. Nihal and Aravindh are not just two of India’s best, but among the top minds in the world. Their addition reflects our commitment to representing India in every genre of competitive gaming and our belief that esports is about excellence, whether it’s aim or intellect. This is a historic moment for both S8UL and Indian chess.”
(IANS)
