Chess will once again be a part of the world’s biggest esports festival, with GM Magnus Carlsen returning to defend his title. The Esports World Cup Chess Finals will take place from August 11 to 15 with a new home in Paris, France, and feature a $1,500,000 prize fund.Â
The tournament will bring together the world’s strongest players, a unique high-stakes tournament spectacle, and a legion of fans chanting for their favorite players and clubs. On top of it all, a $30 million Club Championship adds another layer of drama to what promises to be another historic event for chess.
Fans can enjoy all the action by tuning in to the official broadcast, featuring the best chess commentators and exciting special guests. Those who want to experience the massive production value firsthand can also buy tickets to attend the festival at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France. Use the coupon code CHESS15 for a 15% discount on the EWC Chess Finals.
The Esports World Cup (EWC) is the world’s largest esports competition. With more than 2,000 elite players, 25 tournaments across 24 titles, and over $75 million in prizes, the event is a staple of the professional gaming calendar—and attracts the largest esports organizations and athletes every year. Following a successful debut in 2025, chess returns to the EWC stage in 2026 with a strong lineup of chess titans, including Carlsen, GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, and other stars.
The first move starts the game. The next one defines it.
Rise Above. pic.twitter.com/I8H2lStxsU
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) May 15, 2026
Bigger Tournament, More Players
This year, the EWC Chess Finals features an expanded format with a Play-In phase and 22 players, up from 16 last year. Competing in the Play-In are the four finalists of DreamHack Atlanta, along with the four finalists of the upcoming Last Chance Qualifier. Of the eight, only two will make it to the group stage to meet the current champion, Carlsen, and the other 11 players who qualified.
Road To EWC
Along with the EWC Chess Finals format, the qualification path for the event itself has expanded. A cycle consisting of the Champions Chess Tour, DreamHack Atlanta, India Rising, and the Last Chance Qualifier gave players and fans a full year of high-stakes competition.Â
Carlsen took the first of the 22 spots as early as last year when he beat GM Alireza Firouzja to become the event’s first champion. His dominant performance in the final saw him win each of the first two of three sets 3-1, ending the bout early. With the win, Carlsen took home $250,000 and helped to temporarily propel Team Liquid to the top of the standings, before Team Falcons overtook them to claim the Club Championship.Â
Next, the 2025-2026 Champions Chess Tour (CCT) filled another 11 spots. Firouzja and GM Denis Lazavik came in first by finishing among the top three of the Speed Chess Championship, followed by the Chess.com Open runner-up, GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda. The other eight came from the Champions Chess Tour Leaderboard, with all but two of those players also among the world’s top 25. The list includes heavyweights such as Nakamura, GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nihal Sarin, Hans Niemann, and Ian Nepomniachtchi.
In Paris, Carlsen and the 11 CCT players will skip the Play-In and go straight to the group stage of the EWC Chess Finals. This gives them a considerable advantage over the other eight remaining players.
Joining the Play-Ins are the four finalists of DreamHack Atlanta: winner GM Aravindh Chithambaram and runners-up GMs Le Quang Liem and Andrey Esipenko. They’ll be joined by the four finalists of the Last Chance Qualifier, set to take place in Paris from August 4 through 6. The eight will battle for the remaining two spots in the group stage.
Watch History Unfold
The 2025 EWC Chess Finals went down in history as one of the most exciting and refreshing competitions of the chess calendar. With fans and players praising the tournament, the EWC proved to be an event you can’t miss. As players prepare and the anticipation grows, make sure you join the broadcast of the Last Chance Qualifier on August 4 and don’t miss a single move of the 2026 EWC Chess Finals!
Who do you think will win this year’s Esports World Cup Chess Finals? Let us know in the comments!