Following the announcement that chess will be a big part of the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC), several esports organisations are expanding into the strategy game by signing the world’s best players.

Chess was unveiled as a tournament at the multi-title event in December 2024, and since then, esports organisations participating in the competition have continued to attract talent from across the world — and from the top of the chess leaderboard.

French esports organisation Team Vitality was one of the first to expand its operations into chess for the EWC. In February 2025, it signed Grandmaster Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave to represent the organisation across the international chess circuit.

In addition to the EWC, MVL represents Team Vitality in the Champions Chess Tour. He placed in the top 23 for the Chessable Masters event which concluded on February 21st, 2025.

The esports division of the English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers has also embarked on fielding chess players.

On February 27th, the organisation signed Yu Yangyi, China’s youngest Grandmaster, who will represent the organisation at the EWC, featuring a $1.5m (~£1.2m) prize pool.

Ukrainian organisation NAVI (Natus Vincere) announced a significant expansion into chess on February 17th, 2025, with the signing of three players to its ranks.

Sixth in the world Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So and Oleksandr Bortnyk all competed in the first Chessable Masters competition of 2025, with So finishing in the top 16.

All three players look to represent the organisation at the EWC, a competition where NAVI is part of the Club programme.

Serbian organisation Aurora Gaming has also made the leap into the world of professional chess with the signing of Blitz Chess World Champion Ian Neopmniachtchi.

Currently ranked tenth in the world, the Russian pro will compete in the Champions Chess Tour under the organisation’s banner at the EWC beginning on June 28th.

Saudi Arabian organisation Team Falcons will also field a chess Grandmaster at the EWC and other competitions. On February 18th, it announced the signing of Hikaru Nakamura, who’s currently ranked second in the world, according to the Chess.com rankings.

Nakamura is no stranger to representing esports organisations. In 2020, he represented North American organisation TSM as a streamer in a deal worth six figures.

In March, the organisation announced the signing of Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja, taking its chess roster to two. Team Falcons is one of the only esports organisations to field two players ranked in the top ten.

Leo Team is the second Ukrainian esports organisation to field a chess player.

The organisation signed 2003 Grandmaster Anton Korobov to its roster with the aim of qualifying for the EWC.

Chinese organisation LGD Gaming is one of a handful of esports organisations from Asia fielding a chess player so far.

On February 14th, it announced the signing of former World Champion Ding Liren, who’s returning to chess after taking a competitive hiatus in December 2024.

Similar to NAVI, LGD Gaming is one of 30 organisations that form part of the EWC’s Club programme, which offers financial capital aiming to ensure the stability of organisations.

Weibo Gaming has also expanded into professional chess. On February 16th, the Chinese organisation signed world number seven Wei Yi to its roster.

The first tournament under the organisation saw Yi finish the Chessable Masters with a top 12 placement.

Founded in 1999, All Gamers is one of the oldest esports organisations in the world.

Like many, the Chinese organisation expanded into chess in February with the signing of Volodar Murzin.

Murzin is the defending Rapid Chess World Champion and recently placed fourth in the Djerba International Chess Festival.

North American esports organisation Team Liquid has already cemented its place at the top of chess with the signings of Fabiano Caruana and world number one Magnus Carlsen.

The organisation was one of the first in the world to expand into chess and immediately made an impact by adding two of the world’s best players to its lineup.

Most recently, Carlsen won the Chessable Masters competition, while Caruana finished in the top 12.

Another North American organisation to enter chess is Gen.G. It has signed Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi to represent the organisation on the biggest stage.

The 21-year-old achieved the title of Grandmaster in 2018 and placed 5th at the World Rapid Chess Championship in December 2024.

So far, Team Liquid’s Carlsen, Team Falcons’ Nakamura and Aurora Gaming’s Nepomniachtchi are the only players to qualify for the EWC so far.

The tournament will feature the top 12 players based on CCT points along with four who make it through a last-chance qualifier.

Wolves Esports, the esports division of the English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers, has announced the signing of chess player Yu Yangyi.

China’s youngest chess grandmaster boasts an impressive history of achievements, including two World Chess Olympiad team titles, two World Team Chess Championship titles, and two Chinese Chess King Tournament trophies.

Yu, currently ranked 28th in the world as per Chess.com leaderboard, is looking to compete under the Wolves Esports banner at the Esports World Cup 2025, set to begin in June 2025 in Riyadh.

The multi-title event, which will feature Chess for the first time, will see players compete for a $1.5m (~£1.18m) prize pool, allocated just for its chess tournament alone.

“Yu Yangyi ranks among the top players on the CCT international leaderboard. We look forward to his performance representing Wolves Esports in the Esports World Cup,” Wolves Esports announced on their official X (Twitter) handle.

With a focus on the Chinese esports scene, Wolves Esports competes across multiple titles, including Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile. The organisation has earned over $13m (~£10m) in tournament prize money by securing back-to-back King Pro League Spring championships in 2023 and 2024.

They have also notably won the CODM World Championship 2023, along with multiple Chinese CODM Championship titles.

Apart from Wolves Esports, several other major organisations have entered competitive chess.

Aurora Gaming recently signed Ian Nepomniachtchi, Team Falcons added Hikaru Nakamura to its roster, and NAVI expanded into chess with three high-profile signings—Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk.

According to the CCT rankings, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen, and Hikaru Nakamura have already secured direct slots for the Esports World Cup. Meanwhile, Yu Yangyi is currently ranked seventh and will need to stay in the top nine to qualify for the event.

Serbian organisation Aurora Gaming has announced the signing of Ian Nepomniachtchi, the Blitz Chess World Champion, making him the first chess player to represent the team.

The Russian grandmaster will compete under Aurora Gaming’s banner in upcoming chess tournaments, including the ongoing Champions Chess Tour as one of the invited participants.

The event is streamed live on Chess.com’s official Twitch and YouTube channels and features a prize pool of $150,000 (~£119,076).

Moreover, he will Nepomniachtchi look to take on the world’s best at the 2025 Esports World Cup, set to begin on June 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“We’re happy to announce that a famous Dota streamer, grandmaster and the World Champion Ian Nepomniachtchi is joining the Aurora family and will represent our colours at the CCT and EWC. Welcome home, Nepo,” Aurora Gaming announced on X (Twitter).

Nepomniachtchi is currently the highest-ranked chess player in Russia and ninth globally. He is also one of the few players to have won two consecutive Candidates Tournaments.

“With chess now part of the EWC programme, it has the potential to become a full-fledged esports discipline. I hope the new, dynamic format will attract a broader audience,” said Nepomniachtchi on joining Aurora Gaming and making his debut in the chess esports scene.

“I’ve been passionate about video games for a long time and actively follow esports, so joining Aurora Gaming is an exciting opportunity for me. It’s a recognisable and ambitious project.

Aurora Gaming actively competes in multiple titles, including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Apex Legends, and more. According to the organisation, it has earned approximately $1.5m (~£1.2m) in prize money.

In addition to Aurora Gaming, several other leading esports organisations have signed chess players for the season. This includes Hikaru Nakamura joining Team Falcons, NAVI signing Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Team Liquid bringing in Magnus Carlsen and more.

Saudi Arabian esports organisation Team Falcons has announced the signing of chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.

Similar to other esports teams in the space, Team Falcons has picked up the chess legend ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC) chess competition, which will take place later this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Hikaru will be competing in the two Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events to gain access to the EWC. According to the qualification format, only the top 12 players from the CCT will advance to the multi-title event. The remaining four spots will be determined through a Last Chance Qualifier.

Unlike other grandmaster players, who have rarely been associated with esports teams, Hikaru is one of the few who has collaborated with organisations in the past. As one of the biggest chess streamers in the space, North American team TSM signed Hikaru back in 2020 on a six-figure deal.

The collaboration, however, ended in 2022, and the Grandmaster player closed a deal with Misfits Gaming Group shortly after, receiving financial support and resources for content creation. Joining Team Falcons, Hikaru is looking to aim for the EWC title and a share of the $1.5m (~£1.18m) prize pool that will be put on the line.

The competition will be tough given other GMs and high-ranking players have joined some of the industry’s top-tier esports organisations.

Indian player Arjun Erigaisi recently announced his signing with Korean team Gen.G while Team Liquid locked in four-time United States chess champion Fabiano Caruana as well as chess legend Magnus Carlsen. On the Asian side, Chinese team LGD Gaming has signed former world champion Ding Liren to compete under its banner.

French esports team Team Vitality signed Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave, while NAVI expanded into chess by hiring three players: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk.

Ukrainian esports organisation NAVI (Natus Vincere) has announced its expansion to chess with the signing of three grandmaster (GM) players.

NAVI’s Chess lineup will be composed of Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who is number six in the World Ranking, Wesley So and Oleksandr Bortnyk.

According to a release, the three will be competing in the first Chessble Masters online championship, which features a $150,000 (~£119,003) prize pool.

With the addition of chess to its roster, NAVI now competes across 11 different esports titles, including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Call of Duty: Warzone. Earlier last week, it also acquired Indonesian organisation Rebellion Esports to expand into Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, fielding a roster for MPL Indonesia.

This is not the first time an esports organisation has signed grandmasters. With the addition of chess in the 2025 Esports World Cup, several teams have started picking up some of the best talents in the world ranking.

Arjun Erigaisi was among the first players to be announced, joining Gen.G Esports. Aside from the Korean team and NAVI, Team Liquid recently announced the signing of reigning four-time United States chess champion Fabiano Caruana as well as chess legend Magnus Carlsen, who’s also the ambassador of the EWC Chess competition.

Chinese esports organisation LGD Gaming has also signed former world champion Ding Liren while France-based Team Vitality picked up grandmaster Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave.

It’s not surprising to see esports organisations put players under their banner, considering the chess event will feature a $1.5m (~£1.18m) prize pool at the EWC later this summer.

Chess players can qualify for the 2025 Esports World Cup competition through the two Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events. The top 12 from the CCT and four players from the ‘Last Chance Qualifier’ will be able to compete in Riyadh

The top 12 from the CCT and the four players from the ‘Last Chance Qualifier’ will then compete in the Chess Esports World Cup, taking place from July 31st to August 3rd.

Team Liquid has announced the signing of chess World Champion Magnus Carlsen.

As the second chess pro signed to Team Liquid, Carlsen will represent the North American esports organisation in international chess tournaments taking place throughout 2025. With Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana on its roster, Team Liquid has now signed the top two chess players in the world.

Carlsen is regarded as one of the best chess players in the world. He’s held the number one ranking for 14 years in addition to winning the world championship five times.

“It is so exciting to be a part of what I believe is the biggest and best esports team in the world,” said Carlsen. “As one of the biggest names in chess myself, partnering up with the best team and a fun brand is a perfect fit. I look forward to chess becoming staples of esports teams from now on.”

Alongside representing Team Liquid, Carlsen is also an ambassador for the Esports World Cup, a multi-title event that will feature chess for the first time in 2025.

Team Liquid isn’t the only esports organisation to expand into chess. On February 11th, 2025, French organisation Team Vitality signed Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave to its roster. The trend of esports organisations signing chess players shows no signs of slowing down.

The strategy game’s inclusion at the Esports World Cup is an opportunity for organisations that are part of the tournament’s partner programme.

Team Liquid is one of 40 organisations that are part of the programme, which features a $20m (~£15.9m) prize pool distributed based on the performances of its teams at the event.

With chess becoming one of 25 games being played at the event, the chances of other organisations signing chess players to their ranks are high.

Chinese esports organisation LGD Gaming has announced the signing of Ding Liren, marking his return to chess in 2025.

The 17th World Chess champion is the latest chess player to join an esports team, as announced by LGD on Thursday through social media platform Weibo. The former world champion will be participating in the Chessable Masters, which qualifies for the Esports World Cup.

The 32-year-old will be making a return after taking a competitive hiatus following his loss to Grandmaster (GM) Gukesh Dommaraju in December. He is a member of the Hangzhou Mind Sports Team, which is based in the same city as LGD Gaming in Hangzhou.

With Chess confirmed to be included in the Esports World Cup 2025 line-up and featuring a $1.5m (~£1.18m) tournament, several esports teams have been making strides to lock in their own Chess prodigy.

Aside from Ding, other GM players such as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Arjun Erigaisi, and Fabiano Caruana, have joined Team Vitality, Gen.G Esports, and Team Liquid, respectively. This is due to organisations looking to bolster their line-ups ahead of the competition later this summer.

Chess players can qualify for the 2025 Esports World Cup event through the two Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events. Taking place in February and May, it will feature a combined $300,000 (£238,416) prize pool.

The top 12 from the CCT and the four players from the ‘Last Chance Qualifier’ will then compete in the Chess EWC, taking place from July 31 to August 3.

Founded in 2009, LGD Gaming is one of China’s oldest esports organisations and is mainly known for its efforts across Dota 2, League of Legends, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Crossfire, and Clash Royale. It previously operated in Counter-Strike and Overwatch, but the two divisions disbanded in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Team Vitality has announced chess Grandmaster Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave as its new professional chess player.

MVL will represent the French esports organisation internationally and participate in community activations, bridging the esports and chess communities.

French chess player MVL is a notable figure in the global chess scene, having achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 14. Throughout most of his career, he has been ranked among the top 10 players in the world by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). Currently, he is ranked World#7 in Rapid chess.

MVL’s numerous chess achievements include five Biel Grandmaster Tournament wins and two Sinquefield Cup victories. He also won the World Blitz Championship in 2021.

The first event of the 2025 Champions Chess Tour, called the Chessable Masters, will be MVL’s first competition as an official Team Vitality player.

In December 2024, the Esports World Club (EWC) revealed the inclusion of chess during its 2025 edition alongside the appointment of Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen as an ambassador. EWC is an esports festival backed by the Saudi Arabian government. The event awards organisations with points across multiple esports titles to determine the most winning team.

With several Vitality rosters — including CS2 and Rocket League — competing at the EWC, MVL hopes to contribute to his new organisation’s EWC score in the Rapid Chess category.

MVL said in a press release: “I’m absolutely thrilled to join Team Vitality for this new adventure in the world of esports! Competing for Team Vitality this year is an exciting challenge, and the two qualifying tournaments will be key milestones in my 2025 season for qualifying in the EWC.

“Seeing chess take its place alongside some of the biggest games in esports is incredible—it’s a fantastic opportunity to grow the game and inspire the next generation of players.”

 MVL is not the only addition to Vitality as of late. Last month, Counter-Strike analyst Jacob ‘Pimp’ Winneche, as well as professional VALORANT player Ardis ‘Ardiis’ Svarenieks, joined the organisation.

Esports has a vast ecosystem that spans across a variety of games, each with its own unique structures and calendars. As such, fans of multiple esports are treated to major tournaments and events throughout the entirety of the year.

To help navigate esports’ hectic calendar, Esports Insider has created a month-by-month list of events that are taking place in 2025. These competitions range from annual World Championships to major leagues that cover entire regions. 

This list will be updated periodically as more major esports events and dates are announced. First published: 13/01/25.

League of Legends and VALORANT kick off esports’ competitive calendar with their international respective leagues all commencing. However, the first month of 2025 also concludes Apex Legends’ latest season as the 2024 ALGS Championship heads to Japan.

February sees some of the best teams across Rainbow Six Siege, VALORANT and Counter-Strike 2 collide with the Six Invitational 2025, VALORANT Masters Bangkok 2025 and PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 all taking place, respectively. Meanwhile, Fortnite’s esports ecosystem takes centre stage across the world with its online Major 1 Grand Finals.

League of Legends’ esports ecosystem will debut its new tournament, First Stand, in March. Meanwhile, Capcom Cup 11, Street Fighter 6’s biggest event of the year, and Rocket League’s RLCS 2025 Birmingham Major stand out within a very busy month in esports.

Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 largely dominate April 2025, with the likes of PGL Bucharest, BLAST Rivals Spring 2025, IEM Spring, ESL One Raleigh and PGL Wallachia Season 4 all starting in the month. Call of Duty League’s Stage 3 Major and ESL Snapdragon Pro Series: Mobile Masters 2025 are other stand-out events in April.

Counter-Strike 2 continues to dominate the 2025 esports calendar with four significant events happening in May alone. Notably, this includes ESL Impact League Season 7, Counter-Strike 2’s women’s-only esports competition.

June is jam-packed with international events. VALORANT, Counter-Strike, Rocket League and League of Legends will host notable global competitions to find the best teams in their respective games at 2025’s mid-way point.

July marks the start of the 2025 Esports World Cup, a multi-title esports tournament in Saudi Arabia. As such, a range of major esports events will be scheduled throughout the month. As of right now, the biggest events announced are the PUBG Mobile World Cup 2025 and its new Chess competition.

Alongside the continuation of the Esports World Cup, August will see titles such as Pokemon UNITE and GeoGuessr conclude their respective esports ecosystems.

September sees various Counter-Strike 2 competitions commence, including the ESL Pro League and the StarLadder StarSeries. However, headlining this month is the RLCS 2025 World Championship, which has yet to reveal its location.

So far, very little has been announced for October. However, the 2025 League of Legends World Championship, one of esports’ biggest events of the year, is set to be held in China with PGL hosting another significant Counter-Strike 2 tournament in Serbia.

November sees the conclusion of PUBG Mobile’s esports ecosystem, whilst Rainbow Six, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 all host notable competitions.

Written by: Tom Daniels & Olivia Richman

The Esports World Cup Foundation, the organiser of the Esports World Cup, has announced a multi-year partnership with online chess platform Chess.com.

As a result, Chess will be included in the Esports World Cup 2025 line-up and will have a $1.5m (~£1.18m) tournament. Players will qualify for the event through the Champions Chess Tour (CCT).

In addition, Grandmaster chess player Magnus Carlsen has become an ambassador of the game at the EWC.

Chess, more specifically the digital version of the game made popular by platforms such as Chess.com, is the first announced title to make its debut at the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh.

While not an esports title per se, Chess is growing in popularity as an interesting alternative to ‘classic’ esports games. Chess tournaments are regularly streamed online and see hundreds of thousands of peak viewers.

Interested players will be able to qualify for the 2025 Esports World Cup event through the Champions Chess Tour, a series of events organised by Chess.com. The tournament organiser said that there will be two events in 2025 that will qualify players for the EWC, and the top 12 CCT players will receive invitations.

A last-chance qualifier will also be held for amateur and pro players in Riyadh.

Magnus Carlsen, one of the most-known professional chess players in the scene today, will help promote the tournament. According to a release, Carlsen will “help connect chess with the broader esports community.” Carlsen added that the EWC is an amazing opportunity to showcase chess to a wide group of esports fans.

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, commented: “It’s the perfect example of how games evolve: from boards to screens, the core competition stays the same. Chess’ rich history, global appeal, and thriving competitive scene make it a perfect fit for our mission to unite the world’s most popular games and their passionate communities under one competitive umbrella.

“Partnering with the leading online platform for the game, Chess.com, and appointing the legendary Magnus Carlsen, a true GOAT of the sport, as the game’s ambassador, allows us to not only showcase Chess on a massive stage but also to drive innovation and growth within its already vibrant ecosystem. “