Mumbai, May 18 (IANS) S8UL, a global name in esports and gaming content, has officially qualified for its third title at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 after Indian Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram emerged victorious in the Road to EWC qualifier held at DreamHack Atlanta, becoming the first Indian player to secure qualification for the Chess main event at the prestigious tournament.

The qualifiers featured a group stage followed by playoffs, with matches featuring two games per series and Armageddon as the tiebreaker, all played at 10 minutes with no increment. The group stage consisted of two double-elimination groups, with the top four players from each group advancing to the playoffs. Aravindh advanced to the Upper Bracket (UB) semifinals from Group B after registering victories over Kyler Raines, Justin Liang, Oleksander Bortnyk, and Christopher Woo.

In the UB semifinals, Aravindh once again faced Woo and defeated him 2-1 after the opening two games ended in draws, clinching victory in the Armageddon game. He followed it up with another 2-1 win over Alexey Sarana in the UB Final to secure his place in the grand final, where he once again faced Sarana. The grand final was played in a double-match format, where a Lower Bracket (LB) win triggered a single Armageddon decider if required. After Sarana won the opening two games of the final from the LB side, Aravindh showcased immense composure under pressure, fighting back to win the Armageddon decider and come out on top in the qualifiers.

With the victory, the 26-year-old secured USD 15,000 (Rs 14 lakh) in prize money and earned a coveted place among the eight players who have officially qualified for the EWC 2026 Chess main event, set to take place from August 11 to 15 with an overall prize pool of USD 1.5 million (Rs 14 crore). The qualification also marks S8UL’s confirmed entry into its third title at EWC 2026, following successful qualification campaigns in Fortnite and Honor of Kings.

Speaking about the victory and qualification, Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram said, “Qualifying for the Esports World Cup this year is a very proud and exciting moment for me, especially with so many top players and organizations from around the world competing at the event. This particular format leaves very little room for error, as every decision matters when you are playing 10-minute games without increment against some of the strongest players in the world. I am also very grateful to the team at S8UL for their consistent support and belief in me since last year. Their approach towards chess and nurturing Indian talent has been incredibly encouraging, and I am looking forward to representing the organization and giving my best at the main event”

Alongside Aravindh, fellow S8UL Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Pranesh M also remain in contention to qualify for the EWC 2026 Chess event. A total of nine players will qualify through the Champions Chess Tour Leaderboard, where Nihal is currently in a qualifying position. Additionally, four players will secure qualification through the Last Chance Qualifiers closer to the tournament, while one final slot will be awarded through the India Rising event, scheduled to conclude on July 5.

“One of the things we’ve consistently focused on at S8UL is creating opportunities for Indian talent to compete and succeed on the biggest global stages. Aravindh Chithambaram qualifying for the Esports World Cup is a huge moment, not just for us as an organization, but for Indian chess overall. The level of competition and pressure in this format is extremely high, which makes this achievement even more special. We’ve always believed India has the talent to stand alongside the very best in the world, and seeing Aravindh become the first Indian to qualify really reinforces that belief,” commented Animesh Agarwal, co-founder and CEO, S8UL Esports.

For this year’s campaign, the organization has placed strong emphasis on Indian representation alongside proven international talent, ensuring homegrown players feature across multiple titles. This vision has already reflected in results, with S8UL’s Honor of Kings roster comprising Indian players securing qualification for the tournament and Aravindh becoming the first Indian Chess player to officially qualify for the event. The organization has also qualified in Fortnite through its international roster while remaining in contention across several other titles. S8UL narrowly missed qualification in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and fell short in the semifinals of the MOBA Legends 5v5 qualifiers.

The EWC 2026, set to take place from July 6 to August 23, 2026, will bring together over 2,000 players from 200 clubs across more than 100 countries competing for a record-breaking prize pool of USD 75 million (Rs 72 crore). With confirmed qualification now across three titles, S8UL will be aiming to continue waving the Indian flag high on the global stage while pushing for qualification in additional titles.

–IANS

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