On a day that started with sweltering heat and three Indians in action in chess at Esports World Cup 2026, the end was rather cold at the Expo Porte de Versailles here on Wednesday.

S8UL’s Pranesh M, playing in his first Esports World Cup, conceded consecutive games to Navi Gaming’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and slipped into the lower bracket in the first match of the day. “The nerves are really important; I think I have to get used to it beforehand,” Pranesh told Sportstar.

In the match that followed, Gen. G Gaming’s Arjun Erigaisi, who had finished fourth in the last edition of the tournament, went neck-and-neck with S8UL’s Nihal Sarin. Playing amid a subdued crowd around the venue, as the audience discussed Erigaisi’s calm demeanour – his heartbeat remained in double digits for most of the clash, while that of Sarin spiked inconsistently – he swept past Sarin with two wins in two.

“I think I played decently, but he (Erigaisi) kept up the pressure very well, both on the board and the clock. More than nerves, I mean, he just played extremely well,” Sarin said of his national teammate for the upcoming Chess Olympiad.

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But the real highlight of the opening day of chess at the World Cup was the Group B match between Han Niemann, playing for India’s GodLike Esports, and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Aurora Gaming. Ian took the lead with a win in the first game, but Niemann hit back in the second to force an Armageddon.

In the decider, however, Nepomniachtchi’s mouse slipped, allowing Niemann to eliminate his rook with the queen and checkmate him, while the Russian repeatedly banged the table in frustration.

Meanwhile, defending champion Magnus Carlsen was tested well by Andrey Esipenko in his first match.

Esipenko dragged Carlsen to the last minute before resigning in the first game, and then drew the next. The Norwegian World No. 1, one of the main attractions in this World Cup, has looked unwell in this tournament, missing the dominance that arguably has made him the best in the world.

But in his next match against Niemann, signs of resurgence emerged. Carlsen underlined his endgame supremacy to turn the tables in the last 30 seconds of Game 1, winning it, while a draw in Game 2 secured his spot in the playoffs.

Team Falcons, the defending EWC champion, saw both its players live up to its reputation, as Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja both secured a spot in the upper bracket playoffs, with Abdusattarov joining them to complete the playoff roster.

For India, hope is not over yet, despite Arvindh Chidambaram getting knocked out in the play-ins. Its three remaining grandmasters will all be in action in the lower-bracket matches later today. Sarin will go up against World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Champion Wei Yi, while Pranesh faces Dutch grandmaster Benjamin Bok.

Another all-Indian clash remains on the cards: the winner between Bok and Pranesh will face Erigaisi in a lower-bracket decider.

India’s hopes in the tournament have already been raised by GodLike and S8UL in BGMI, with both teams now in the grand final. On Thursday, August 14, more names could be added to the list — on a new day, with a new beginning.

Published on Aug 13, 2026