Mitrabha Guha topped the regional qualifiers to book a place in the Indian chess contingent for the Esports Nations Cup. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

CHESS

Mitrabha Guha tops regional qualifier to qualify for Esports Nations Cup

Indian Grandmaster Mitrabha Guha topped the regional qualifiers to book a place in the Indian chess contingent for the Esports Nations Cup here in November, joining compatriot Nihal Sarin in the squad.

Sarin had secured a direct invitation through the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) Leaderboard.

Chess at ENC will feature 128 players competing for a prize pool of USD 600,000 (Rs 5.7 crore). The competition will begin on November 2 and conclude with the playoff final on November 8. The ENC will run till November 29.

The first stage will consist of all 128 players competing in a round-robin group stage featuring 16 groups of eight players each. The second stage will see 64 players advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket.

Of the 128 participants, 64 players received direct invitations through the official CCT rankings, ensuring representation from 64 different countries and territories.

Among the players already confirmed for the ENC 2026 are some of the biggest names in world chess, including Norwegian superstar Magnus Carlsen, Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda, France’s Alireza Firouzja, and the United States’ Hikaru Nakamura.

-PTI

Published on Jun 15, 2026