Why chess' inclusion in Esports World Cup could lead to friction with governing body FIDE

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30-04-2025

Chess is set to make its debut at the Esports World Cup that takes place in July and August this year in Riyadh and will feature some of the top players in the world including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Arjun Erigaisi. Here's why it could run into trouble with FIDE, the Lausanne-based governing body. read more
FIDE has so far maintained a neutral stance towards the Esports World Cup, which features chess for the first time this year. Image credit: FIDE/Reuters
The Esports World Cup is set to host its second edition in the months of July and August, with the event set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia once again. The inaugural event last year had featured several popular games such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, Fortnite, EA Sports FC, Counter-Strike 2, etc. with a majority of those getting included in this year's programme as well.
What sets the 2025 Esports World Cup apart though is the inclusion of the inclusion of chess, a board game that has been in existence for more than a thousand years whose online version has grown in popularity with the advent of technology and will feature in the upcoming event.
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Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, ranked first and second respectively in the world, will be in action at the World Cup, as will Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi – ranked fourth in the world.
In other words, the eyes of the chess world will be on the Esports World Cup later this summer, especially with a prize money of $1.5 million for the event that will have a time control of 10 minutes with no increment.
And given the fact that it caters primarily to a young audience, the event will be an opportunity for online chess to spread its popularity even further.
Chess' inclusion in the Esports World Cup, however, could also lead to complications, including and especially a potential friction with global governing body FIDE
Why FIDE might not be happy with chess' inclusion in the Esports World Cup?
FIDE has had a long-running feud with Carlsen and Freestyle Chess – which is hosting its inaugural Grand Slam Tour this year – over the usage of the term 'World Championship' – the Lausanne-based world governing body insists it has exclusive rights to that term and has the sole authority of crowning world champions in the sport.
The Esports World Cup, however, is a different entity where players compete as part of leading esports organisations such as Gen.G – which had signed Erigaisi in February – and not just as individuals or national teams.
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FIDE is yet to voice concerns regarding the upcoming tournament, but hasn't come out in its support either, thus maintaining neutrality for now. Given it's battles with Freestyle Chess in recent months and the Professional Chess Association in the 1990s though, FIDE's neutrality will remain a cautious one at best.