Esports World Cup Last Chance Qualifier Concludes: Favourites Fall
The Esports World Cup (EWC) Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), held in Riyadh from July 24-26, 2025, saw 133 players vie for four spots in the $1.5 million EWC chess main event. The LCQ featured a two-day Swiss group stage and a double-elimination knockout playoff. Top four players from each group qualify to contest in a 16-player playoff. Even though most of the favourites crashed through the swiss stage, World Rapid Champion, Volodar Murzin had to face relegation. Other big names like GMs Vincent Keymer and David Antón also exited early.
In the strongly contested playoffs, Indian star Nihal Sarin, representing a local club, S8UL Esports, crushed through the field alongside the Uzbek talent, Javokhir Sindarov. Both the players managed to take down some of the strongest players in the field, including Anish Giri, Hans Niemann, and online chess specialist Denis Lazavik.
Praggnanandhaa couldn’t carry his form that he portrayed in the group stage to the playoffs, crashing out of the event with an armageddon loss to Anish Giri. Aronian, who also faced defeat against Anish, made an impressive comeback by crashing his way through to qualification after beating Andrey Esipenko in the losers bracket.
The four qualifiers—Nihal Sarin, Javokhir Sindarov, Levon Aronian, and Anish Giri—earned their place in the EWC main event (July 29-August 1), joining stars like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. The LCQ’s rapid 10+0 time control exposed the razor-thin margins of elite chess.
With a lineup devoid of underdogs, it just goes to highlight the depth of this fierce competition, which is about to unfold in Riyadh. With $1.5 million at stake for the players, the chess fans are in for a treat of elite fast-rapid chess action, starting July 29, from 12 Noon GMT.
