NEW DELHI: Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin, representing S8UL Esports, has officially qualified for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025 following a spectacular performance in the Chess Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ).
Nihal was one of only four players and the sole Indian to secure his spot at the global tournament through the LCQ, which completes the 16-player roster for the EWC group stage kicking off July 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nihal showcased exceptional form in the group stage of the LCQ, registering five wins and finishing with 5.5 points to secure a top-four finish in Group B and advance to the playoffs. In the knockout rounds, he produced a stunning turnaround against Belarus’ Denis Lazavik in the Round of 16, delivering a checkmate in a lost position to clinch a 1.5 - 0.5 win. He followed it up with another 1.5 - 0.5 victory against Dutch star Anish Giri in the quarterfinals. Nihal then sealed qualification by defeating Russia’s Andrey Esipenko 2.5 - 1.5 in the winners’ bracket, leveraging his world-class speed chess prowess under pressure.