Esports World Cup 2025: Сhess — Group Stage begins

The Esports World Cup 2025 chess tournament kicks off in Riyadh today. The major event brings together 16 of the strongest players on the planet to battle over the championship title, a $1,500,000 prize fund, and 3,350 EWC points.

Based on the draw results, the single NAVI player — grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov — was put into Group D with Magnus Carlsen, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Fabiano Caruana. Nodirbek will face Magnus Carlsen in his first match today at 18:00 CEST.

The tournament consists of the group stage and the playoffs. The group stage is played with a Double Elimination bracket where participants play mini-sets of two rapid games (10+0). In case of a draw, the winner will be determined in the Armageddon game. The two strongest players from each group advance to the playoffs.

Let's support Nodirbek ahead of this fierce challenge and wish him luck fighting for the main trophy!