Grandmaster Mitrabha Guha tops regional qualifier to join India's Chess contingent for Esports Nations Cup 2026
Riyadh, June 15
India's Chess contingent for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 is now complete, with Grandmaster Mitrabha Guha earning his place by topping the regional qualifier. He joins Grandmaster Nihal Sarin, who had earlier secured a direct invitation through the Champions Chess Tour Leaderboard, as India's representative at the global nation-based esports competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to November 29.
Chess at ENC 2026 will feature 128 players competing for a prize pool of USD 600,000 (Rs 5.7 crore). The competition will begin on November 2 and conclude with the playoff final on November 8. The first stage will consist of all 128 players competing in a round-robin group stage featuring 16 groups of eight players each. The second stage will see 64 players advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket.
Of the 128 participants, 64 players received direct invitations through the official CCT rankings, ensuring representation from 64 different countries and territories. Among the players already confirmed for the ENC 2026 are some of the biggest names in world Chess, including Norway's Magnus Carlsen, Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda, France's Alireza Firouzja, and the United States' Hikaru Nakamura. The field will also feature Switzerland's Alexandra Kosteniuk and Estonia's Mai Narva, who became the first women to officially qualify for the event. A further 61 players qualified through regional qualifiers operated by Chess.com, while the final three players earned their places through wildcard slots.
Every country and territory can be represented by up to two players at the Finals. Where a player receives a direct invitation through the official rankings, an additional representative from the same country or territory can still qualify through regional competition. With Nihal already having qualified through the CCT Leaderboard, only one additional Indian player was eligible to advance through the regional pathway.
The regional qualifier for the Middle East, India, and Central Asia began with an open nine-round Swiss stage featuring verified titled players competing under a 10+0 rapid time control. The top eight players advanced to a double-elimination knockout bracket, from which four players secured qualification to the ENC 2026.
Among the Indian participants, Mitrabha emerged as the standout performer, finishing atop the Swiss standings as the only unbeaten player in the field with six wins and three draws from nine rounds. His result earned him a place in the Upper Bracket quarterfinals, where he defeated Syria's Malek Koniahli before overcoming Iran's Artin Ashraf in the Upper Bracket semifinals to secure qualification for the ENC 2026 Finals.
The 24-year-old Grandmaster enters ENC 2026 with strong momentum, having claimed gold at the Commonwealth Chess Championship earlier this year after also winning the title during the 2023-24 season.
Speaking about his qualification, Grandmaster Mitrabha Guha said, "The regional qualifier was challenging from start to finish. Chess has become an increasingly important part of the global esports ecosystem, and the Esports Nations Cup is a great reflection of that growth. The tournament will bring together some of the strongest players from around the world, so preparation will be key. Over the coming months, my focus will be on refining different aspects of my game and ensuring I am ready to perform at my highest level when the competition begins."
Elsewhere, India's preparations for ENC 2026 continue across multiple titles. NODWIN Gaming, India's National Team Partner (NTP) for the tournament has already announced the following national team rosters:
- DOTA 2: Krish Gupta (Krish), Vishal Vernekar (HBK), Dhvanit Singh Negi (Negi), Manav Kunte (MnZ), and Yash Thakur (xand3r_^). Moin Ejaz (NO_Chanc3) will serve as coach.
The roster will compete in the regional qualifiers from June 29 to July 1, where two teams will secure qualification.
- MOBA Legends: 5v5!: Gaithanlung Gonmei (Kyle), Susanta Biswas (Kimyy), Abhijeet Katkar (Asuna), Rithik Sohal (Romcom), Evancius A. Sangma (Vann), Mohammad Saad (Apex) and Jay Mehta (J). Steve Vitug (Dale) will serve as coach.
India is currently ranked 11th in the MOBA Legends: 5v5! ENC rankings and remains in contention for a direct invitation. Should it miss out, the team will compete in the regional qualifiers scheduled for August 15 to 16.
- Rocket League: Abhai Ponna (Abscrazy), Karthik Raghunandan (Karvin), Aditeya Srivastav (Riyal), and substitute player Jayanth Engineer (Orjanguse). Nirjhar Mitra (jocse) will serve as coach.
The team will compete in the regional qualifiers from July 17-19, where three teams from Asia will secure qualification for the ENC 2026 Finals.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm excited to see chess being taken seriously as an esport. The prize pool of $600,000 is no joke! But I hope the players get proper support from the government and sponsors. We have so much talent in India, but many don't get the platform they deserve. Hope Mitrabha and Nihal make us proud! 🤞
Solid achievement from Mitrabha. Undefeated in the regional qualifier with 6 wins and 3 draws? That's champion mentality. But let's be honest - the real challenge will be against guys like Carlsen, Firouzja, and Nakamura. Hope our boys prepare well for the rapid format. 10+0 is different from classical chess and requires sharp tactical play.
Interesting how they limited each country to max 2 players. That's a fair system - prevents one nation from dominating. India with Nihal and Mitrabha is a strong combo though. Also glad to see NODWIN Gaming backing our esports teams for DOTA, MOBA, and Rocket League. Indian gaming is growing step by step 💪
Let's not get too carried away. While this is good news, I think we need to ask why only two Indian players made it? With our chess talent pool, we should have more representation. The qualification system seems a bit restrictive. But credit to Mitrabha for topping the regional qualifier - he earned his spot fair and square.
Commonwealth champion and now ENC qualifier! Mitrabha is on a roll. The rapid format should suit
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.