EWC 2025 Chess: Schedule, Teams, and all you need to know
- India Today Gaming
- July 12, 2025 (UPDATED: July 12, 2025 03:13 IST)
EWC 2025 chess welcomes top global players including Carlsen, Nakamura, and Firouzja; full roster finalizes after Riyadh LCQ in late July
The world is getting ready to watch one of biggest chess tournaments ever. From 29 July to 1 August 2025, the Esports World Cup (EWC) will hosts 16 top players from different countries. The prize is a huge $1.5 million, ready to be won.
A total of 12 top players already confirmed their place through the Champions Chess Tour earlier this year. Many of them are part of famous esports teams. And they are not just coming to play, they are coming to win. Some are already legends, and others just entering that spotlight.
Here’s the list of the 12 players already locked in:
- Magnus Carlsen – Team Liquid
- Hikaru Nakamura – Team Falcons
- Ian Nepomniachtchi – Aurora Gaming
- Alireza Firouzja – Team Falcons
- Fabiano Caruana – Team Liquid
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov – NAVI
- Arjun Erigaisi – Gen.G
- Vladislav Artemiev – Team Spirit
- Jan-Krzysztof Duda – Twisted Minds
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Team Vitality
- Vladimir Fedoseev – Free Agent
- Wei Yi – Weibo Gaming
Now, for the remaining 4 spots, they will be filled from the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), which happens in Riyadh from July 24 to 26. It’s the last entry gate before the real battle begins.
How the Tournament Format Works
The tournament is not just about few matches here and there. It’s actually very structured. There are four groups, (Group A, B, C, D) each with four players. They start with something called upper bracket, where everyone gets their first match. If someone wins, they move forward to the winners' match. But if they lose, it’s not the end for them.
The losing players fall into the lower bracket, where they get one more chance. If they win that, they still can make it to the playoffs by winning again in the decider match. It’s kind of like a survival path.
Matches will happen non-stop from July 29 to July 31 for the quarterfinals. After that, semi finals, grand final happen on August 1. The format makes sure only the most consistent and strongest players survive to the end.
Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ)
Before the main event, there will be a Last Chance Qualifier where players get one final shot to join. Kind of a last window for those who didn’t make it through CCT. Even though there’s no prize money in LCQ, just reaching the top 4 means you’re guaranteed $50,000 from the EWC prize pool.
Also, organizers gave priority to top-rated players, including top 25 women and titled ones. So the level of competition even in LCQ is very high.
Written By “Sujoy Bhowmik - India Today Gaming”