Chess Takes Its Place At $45 Million Esports Nations Cup—An Invite Too Good To Refuse

Remember the glitz and glam of chess's entry into the esports world's richest and most prestigious event, the Esports World Cup, last summer?

There was hype-men chaos as Sandstorm and Tyler1 delivered what was likely the loudest introduction a chess tournament has ever had. Then came the drama: GM Magnus Carlsen bristling on day three as the crowd cheered for long-time rival GM Hikaru Nakamura. "It pissed me off," he admitted—an exchange about as un-chess-like as it gets.

The spectacle peaked in the final when Carlsen uncorked the sublime 22.Nb8 to dismantle GM Alireza Firouzja, pocket $250,000, and claim the inaugural Chess EWC title for Team Liquid. The slow-moving, gentile world of chess had never seen anything like it.

But this year, the ancient game is not only expecting to make a return trip to the Esports World Cup, it has been invited to a second big marquee event in the esports calendar: the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC).

On Saturday, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced chess as the latest of 16 titles that national teams and players will compete in at the cup's first edition alongside the likes of Dota 2 and Fatal Fury.

The ENC is set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026, with the chess event running for six days from the start. Unlike the EWC, players will be representing their nations, as the name suggests. So national pride, along with prize money and kudos is at stake.

And when it comes to prizes, the cash on offer is eye-watering. The entire ENC event across all disciplines is pumping $45 million into the esports ecosystem, including a $20 million prize pool. Event winners can earn a at least $50,000 per person.

So there's plenty to motivate the likes of Carlsen and Nakamura.

Like in the EWC, chess will use the Rapid 10+0 guillotine time control format, which practically guarantees fast and frantic finishes.

The tournament format is familiar. The opening round will consist of 128 players competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring 16 groups of eight players.

The second stage will consist of 64 players competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket. All matches will be best-of-two until the quarterfinals and beyond when it will go to best-of-four.

According to a press release sent out by the organisers: "Chess at ENC 2026 will field an unprecedented number of competitors, allowing new talents and underrepresented nations to compete on a major stage as the historically significant game grows into a bigger and bigger esport."

According to the regulations, every nation can have up to two representatives at the event.

In total, 20 nations were represented across the chess main event and Last Chance Qualifier in Riyadh at this EWC 2025. This Nations tournament is therefore going to spread the representation much wider.

There's a lot of qualification hoops to go through before we know the full and final lineup. But with 64 players from 64 nations directly invited based on Champions Chess Tour (CCT) rankings, Carlsen and Nakamura will surely return.

Going on their reaction to last year's EWC all the top chess players will want to be there—and so will we. We will bring you more details when we know them.