Esports World Cup 2026 Chess ignites August 11-15 in Riyadh with a $1.5M prize pool and 21 grandmasters battling in rapid format. Defending champ Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid) leads, joined by qualifiers from Speed Chess Championship (3 slots), Chess.com Global Championship (3 slots), CCT Leaderboard (6 slots), and Play-In wildcards (8). Double-elim Groups feed single-elim Playoffs, culminating in a Bo3-set Grand Final. Part of EWC's $75M spectacle, it's chess reimagined for e