Denis Lazavik, Magnus Carlsen Reach EWC Chess Final as Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin Exit

India’s campaign in the Chess tournament at the Esports World Cup (EWC) ended in the quarterfinals, with Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin securing top-eight finishes, while Denis Lazavik and Magnus Carlsen advanced to the grand final.

Arjun, representing Gen.G Esports, was eliminated by Team Falcons’ Hikaru Nakamura after their quarterfinal went all the way to an Armageddon tiebreak. The four regulation games ended in draws, leaving neither player able to break the deadlock.

In the deciding Armageddon game, Nakamura, playing White, converted his advantage and checkmated Arjun to book his semifinal spot. The American Grandmaster had also defeated Arjun in last year’s third-place playoff.

Nihal, meanwhile, faced defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Team Liquid in another rematch from last year’s knockout stage. Carlsen won the opening two games before a draw in the third confirmed his 2.5-0.5 victory and sent him into the semifinals.

The other quarterfinals saw Denis Lazavik of AG.AL defeat Natus Vincere’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov in Armageddon, while Team Falcons’ Alireza Firouzja beat GodLike Esports’ Hans Moke Niemann 2.5-1.5.

In the semifinals, Lazavik defeated Nakamura to secure his place in the championship match, while Carlsen overcame Firouzja to keep his title defence alive. The result sets up a Lazavik vs Carlsen grand final.

Carlsen, the reigning EWC Chess champion, will now look to defend the title he won in the inaugural edition. Lazavik, meanwhile, has produced one of the tournament’s biggest runs and will be bidding for his first EWC Chess crown.

Although they missed out on the semifinals, Arjun and Nihal’s quarterfinal appearances represent India’s strongest showing in the Chess event. Both players will receive USD 75,000 each from the tournament’s USD 1.5 million prize pool.

India’s four-player contingent also included Pranesh M of S8UL Esports, who exited in the Lower Bracket a day earlier and earned USD 55,000, while S8UL’s Aravindh Chithambaram, eliminated during the Play-Ins, received USD 23,000.

The EWC Chess grand final will be played in a best-of-three sets format. The first two sets will consist of four games each, while a third set of two games will be played if required to determine the champion. The 2026 event carries a USD 1.5 million prize pool.