Chess Returns to Esports World Cup in 2027

Chess, one of the world’s most popular strategy games, has been confirmed for the Esports World Cup 2027. For a third consecutive year, the world’s best Chess players head to EWC in pursuit of glory while aiming to defeat Magnus Carlsen, Esports World Cup’s two-time champion.

Once again, the world’s largest chess community Chess.com is teaming with the Esports Foundation to find out which players will head to EWC 2027, via a new-and-improved Champions Chess Tour 2026-27 cycle. Since its debut in 2025, Chess has become a staple event for the Esports World Cup, attracting fans across the esports ecosystem and traditional chess landscape as the game breaks boundaries by becoming a phenomenon both online and offline.

As chess returns to the Esports World Cup, here’s what you need to know about an exciting 2026 edition, as well as the players to look out for going into EWC 2027.

As the Esports World Cup made its way to Paris, all eyes were on whether Chess icon Magnus Carlsen would add another international trophy to his impressive resume. Victories against Andrey Esipenko and Hans Moke Niemann cemented his place in the Playoffs, and after defeating Nihal Sarin and EWC 2025 finalist Alireza Firouzja, the stage was set for Carlsen to defend his crown in the Grand Final.

Whilst Carlsen’s return to the EWC Grand Final was expected by many fans, who he would face on the other side of the board was not. Then 19-year-old Denis Lazavik showcased his technical prowess in the Playoffs, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov to set up a highly anticipated clash against Hikaru Nakamura.

Despite Carlsen and Nakamura sharing the same group at EWC 2026, as well as sharing some truths off the board, the duo would never get to face off against one another at the event. Lazavik would avenge his previous loss against Nakamura in the group stage by pouncing on mistakes and playing solid positional Chess to set up an unlikely final against Carlsen. The semi-final matchup also had major implications in the overall Club Championship as eventual EWC 26 Club champion AG.AL secured crucial points via Lazavik at the expense of Team Falcons’ Nakamura, a Club that was also contending for the title.

In the end, Carlsen once again proved why he is currently regarded as the best chess player in the world. The Team Liquid representative successfully defended his EWC title by defeating Lazavik without dropping a single game to secure the 2-0 set victory.