3/30/2026 – Chess returns to the Esports World Cup in 2026 following a successful debut at last year's event. On its biggest stage ever, chess cemented its place in the larger esports ecosystem, drawing impressive viewership numbers while packing the arenas. This year, chess expands with a 21-player pool that now includes a play-in stage prior to a reformatted group stage and playoffs.
new: Fritz 20
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Master your Technique Vol. 2 is a must-have for ambitious players who want to confidently convert “better” positions, or turn equal ones into wins.
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Here is All You Need to Know about Chess at EWC 2026, including key Road to EWC events, the biggest stories from last year and this current competitive season, and the top contenders to watch out for.
Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.
Chess' biggest star and the inaugural EWC champion, Magnus Carlsen, will return in 2026 to defend his title. Joining him, among others, are the top three players from the Speed Chess Championship this past October: Alireza Firouzja, Denis Lazavik, and… Magnus Carlsen?! Well, he can't qualify twice, so an additional slot will have to be allocated elsewhere.
Here are the current remaining slot allocations for the Chess main event at EWC 2026:
The top 3 players at Chess.com Open Championship (March 14–April 26)
The top 6* players according to the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) Circuit Points Rankings, not including already qualified players
The top 4 players from DreamHack Atlanta
The top 4 players at the EWC Last Chance Qualifier
*More slots are still to be announced, and additional slots will be reallocated through the CCT Rankings in the event that Firouzja, Lazavik or Carlsen finish in the top 3 at the Chess.com Open Championship.
Players can earn CCT points prior to the rankings' cutoff through the Chess.com Open Championship, or the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix Spring Split (March 3–May 26).
Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!
As alluded to above, Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid) claimed the inaugural chess title at Esports World Cup 2025, not dropping a single set along the way. His biggest test came against long-time rival Hikaru Nakamura (Team Falcons), needing seven games to break the draw in a back-and-forth affair. Carlsen moved on to the final, decisively beating Alireza Firouzja (Team Falcons) with 3–1 victories in both sets. Carlsen's victory was one of three game championships claimed by Liquid, securing a second-straight (though much closer this time around) second place finish for the club in the EWC Club Championship.
It should come as no surprise that Magnus Carlsen is the consensus favorite heading into EWC 2026, as both the defending champion and the winner of the Speed Chess Championship. The greatest chess player of the modern era, Carlsen has been a grandmaster for more than two decades, and any result shy of another first place finish at EWC 2026 would be a disappointment for both himself and Team Liquid.
Like Carlsen was in the 2010s, Alireza Firouzja is a dynamic chess prodigy, and has proven to be a worthy and consistent adversary to Carlsen since being named chess.com's Rising Star of 2021. Between Firouzja and veteran Hikaru Nakamura, Team Falcons has a strong two-man lineup in chess, but will it be enough to unseat Carlsen? Currently, Nakamura holds the most CCT points amongst players that have not qualified for EWC 2026 yet, though it seems heavily likely that he will return to compete in Riyadh this summer.
Become a master of chess strategy – get Robert Ris’s complete bundle now at a special price! Become a master of chess strategy – get Robert Ris’s complete bundle now at a special price!
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Videos: Nico Zwirs examines two Petroffs from the 2026 Candidates. Robert Ris has a tip against the Caro-Kann Advance Variation with 3…c5. Fiona Sieber reveals a surprise weapon against the Najdorf. ‘Lucky Bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, L'Ami et al.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
In this powerful new course, endgame expert Karsten Müller teams up with rising star Leon Mendonca to deliver what truly matters: 10 essential rules that every player must know.
In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
From the 2026 Candidates Tournament, featuring a video review by Dorian Rogozenco, to Jan Werle’s opening video on the French Tarrasch Defence, and Oliver Reeh’s tactical column ‘Top Grandmasters at Work’. Analyses by Giri, So, Wei Yi and many others.
You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
€39.90
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