Latest news with #LastChanceQualifiers
News18
6 days ago
- Sport
- News18
S8UL's Jonny Bags Spot in EAFC Playoffs at Esports World Cup 2025
Last Updated: Jonas Wirth (Jonny) of S8UL Esports has bagged a playoff spot in the FC Pro 25 World Championship at EWC 2025 in Riyadh. After an exciting campaign in Group E, Jonas Wirth (Jonny), representing S8UL Esports, a global force in esports and gaming content, has bagged a spot in the playoffs of the FC Pro 25 World Championship at the ongoing Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a hard-fought Upper Bracket Semi-final, the seasoned EAFC pro from Germany defeated Italy's Samuele Prestigiacomo (Samugamer_07) with a 4-3 scoreline. He then overcame Argentina's Facundo Cowen (Cowen) by the same score in the Upper Bracket Final to secure his place in the Round of 16. The FC Pro 25 World Championship at EWC 2025 features 32 of the world's best competing for a massive $1.5 million (INR 12.5 crore) prize pool. All playoff matches will be played in a single-elimination format, with Jonny all set to take the stage for his Round of 16 match on Friday, August 8. 'It feels amazing to qualify for the playoffs," said Jonas Wirth, aka Jonny. 'Every match challenged me, but I stayed calm and played my game. I'm proud to represent S8UL and excited to give it my best in the Round of 16." –25, where he won three of his four group stage games before missing out in the semifinals. As one of the fiercest competitors in the scene, Jonny won both the Virtual Bundesliga and the eChampions League last year, and is now carrying S8UL's colours onto the world stage. Jonny's playoff qualification adds another feather to S8UL's impressive campaign at EWC 2025. Earlier, the organisation's Apex Legends team reached the Grand Finals, while Chess Grandmaster Nihal Sarin secured a top-8 finish after qualifying through the Last Chance Qualifiers. Meanwhile, S8UL's Tekken 8 athletes, Arja Gamoori (Sephiblack) and Nino Schwarz (Nino), are preparing to fight for their spots via the Last Chance Qualifiers. As the first and only Indian team selected for the Esports World Cup Foundation's prestigious Club Partner Program, S8UL continues to make Indian esports proud by competing at the highest levels of global competition. The organisation's strong performances across several titles highlight its dedication to positioning India as a global force in competitive gaming. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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First Post
30-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Praggnanandhaa's trainer reveals real reason behind his recent turnaround: 'Now he's also been adding...'
Indian GM R Praggnanandhaa has impressed in 2025 with his aggressive play and major title wins. His longtime coach RB Ramesh has revealed the secret behind the recent turnaround. Pragg recently won his third title of the year at UzChess Cup Masters. read more Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has impressed everyone with his strong performances in 2025. After winning three titles this year, including the recent UzChess Cup Masters, he is being lauded for his aggressive playing style. Praggnanandhaa's longtime coach RB Ramesh has revealed the reason behind this change. Speaking to The Indian Express, Ramesh said that Pragg was playing too safe in 2024 and that they had discussed bringing more adventure into his games. Ramesh also mentioned that Pragg has been working on new openings and trying different strategies, which has worked well for him so far. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Pragg is quite good in attack, but he was playing too solid in 2024. At least that was my impression. We discussed this and talked about being more adventurous, which you can see now. His chess was always quite good. Now he's also been adding new openings and trying a lot more variety of openings in games,' Ramesh told IE. Ramesh further revealed that there's another key person in Pragg's team, who is helping him with training. Ramesh said Grandmaster Vaibhav Suri has been working closely with Pragg for the past several months, but they had kept it private until recently when he started travelling with him for tournaments. 'Vaibhav has been helping us longer than this year. But we did not want to go public earlier (and reveal his association with Pragg). He has been with us for some time, but only recently he has started accompanying Pragg for tournaments and that has been very helpful,' he added. What's next for Praggnanandhaa? Praggnanandhaa recently joined Team Liquid ahead of the Esports World Cup 2025, strengthening the team's lineup that includes five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen and American GM Fabiano Caruana. However, to take part in the tournament, Pragg will need to earn his spot by competing in the Last Chance Qualifiers, where only four players will make it to the final EWC lineup. 12 players, including Carlsen, have already confirmed their spots for the event. Arjun Erigaisi of Generation Gaming is the only Indian to have qualified so far.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Chess: ‘Whole lot of letters...' — Magnus Carlsen welcomes Praggnanandhaa to Team Liquid
Chennai: Chess grandmaster Praggnanandhaa after being felicitated by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin at his camp office, in Chennai. (PTI Photo) (PTI06_12_2025_000215B) Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen has welcomed 19-year-old R Praggnanandhaa into his Team Liquid ahead of the Esports World Cup, which will be staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 29 to August 1. 'Before chess conquered the world, it was born in India. For centuries, India has shaped the game. Now, it shapes the future. Praggnanandhaa R. carries that legacy forward — and today, he joins ours. Welcome to Team Liquid. The future of chess starts here,' Team Liquid posted on X. In response, the World No. 1 wrote, "Whole lot of letters in Praggnanandhaa, but no «I». Welcome to the team." Praggnanandhaa also shared his excitement: 'Super excited to be part of Team Liquid! From India to the world, let's take chess to the next level together!' Praggnanandhaa became the fourth Indian chess player to sign up with an esports franchise — after Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and Aravindh Chithambaram. Arjun Erigaisi was snapped up by Generation Gaming (Gen.G), while Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram have been named on the roster of India-based S8UL. Arjun is the only player to have already guaranteed himself a berth at the Esports World Cup, which will feature just 16 participants. Among those who have also qualified are Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, who are part of the group of 12 grandmasters with confirmed spots. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Order New Blinds Online & Get $199 Home Installation Learn More Undo The other players in that list include Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja (both with Team Falcons), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Aurora), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (NAVI), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Team Vitality), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Twisted Minds), Wei Yi (Weibo), Vladislav Artemiev (Team Spirit), and Vladimir Fedoseev. Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa will compete under Team Liquid in the Last Chance Qualifiers, where some of the biggest names in chess will be vying for one of the four remaining places. The line-up for the qualifiers includes reigning world champion Ding Liren (LGD), Wesley So (NAVI), Oleksandr Bortnyk (NAVI), Anish Giri (Team Secret), and Daniil Dubov (Team Spirit). Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Praggnanandhaa to join Magnus Carlsen's Team Liquid ahead of chess' Esports World Cup debut
A day after R Praggnanandhaa won the 2nd UzChess Cup, the 19-year-old from Chennai was announced as the newest member of Team Liquid, a move that sees him join forces with the likes of five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Praggnanandhaa thus becomes the fourth Indian chess player to sign up with an esports franchise with chess making its debut at the Esports World Cup soon to be staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 29 to August 1. Before Praggnanandhaa, his close friend Arjun Erigaisi was snapped up by Generation Gaming (Gen.G) while Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram have been named on the roster of India-based S8UL. So far Arjun is the only player to have assured himself a spot in the Esports World Cup, which has spots for only 16 players. Both Carlsen and Caruana are also among the 12 grandmasters who have qualified. The others are Hikaru Nakamura (Team Falcons), Alireza Firouzja (Team Falcons), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Aurora), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (NAVI), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Team Vitality), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Twisted Minds), Wei Yi (Weibo), Vladislav Artemiev (Team Spirit), Vladimir Fedoseev. Praggnanadhaa will represent Team Liquid for the Last Chance Qualifiers which will see some heavy-hitters in action trying to secure one of the four remaining spots. This includes former world champion Ding Liren (LGD), Wesley So (NAVI), Oleksandr Bortnyk (NAVI), Anish Giri (Team Secret) and Daniil Dubov (Team Spirit). 'Before chess conquered the world, it was born in India. For centuries, India has shaped the game. Now, it shapes the future. Praggnanandhaa R. carries that legacy forward — and today, he joins ours. Welcome to Team Liquid. The future of chess starts here,' the team posted on its X handle announcing the move. Before chess conquered the world, it was born in India. For centuries, India has shaped the game. Now, it shapes the future. Praggnanandhaa R. carries that legacy forward — and today, he joins ours. Welcome to Team Liquid. The future of chess starts here. 💙🇮🇳 Pragg உன்னை… — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) June 28, 2025 In response, Praggnanandhaa posted: 'Super excited to be part of Team Liquid! From India to the world, let's take chess to the next level together!' Carlsen's admiration for Praggnanandhaa is well documented. During the FIDE World Cup in 2023, where Praggnanandhaa had ended up reaching the final before losing to the world no 1 from Norway, Carlsen had famously patted the Indian teenager on the back and exchanged a few words while still in the middle of his own game after the boy from Chennai had upset Hikaru Nakamura via tiebreakers. Carlsen had revealed that at his club Offerspill in Norway, Pragg's coach RB Ramesh had used the phrase 'Be Like Pragg' while explaining to young players the level of dedication they needed to have to succeed. Carlsen had in turn reminded Praggnanandhaa about the 'Be Like Pragg' catchphrase when he had defeated Nakamura. Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa were also teammates in the first season of the Global Chess League. Team Liquid started off as a StarCraft clan in 2000, and then grew into a championship-winning team. It has three training facilities around the world, at Los Angeles, São Paulo and Utrecht (The Netherlands). The Esports World Cup will be an event where the world's biggest esports clubs compete across 24 of the most popular esports titles. For the first time, the World Cup will also feature chess, which will be played online. The first edition of the Esports World Cup was held in 2024 and saw teams compete over eight weeks. The Esports World Cup 2025 is set to be the largest multi-title esports event in history which is expected to have at least 2,000 players and 200 teams competing for a combined prize pool of $70 million (approx. Rs 602 crore). Chess was also included as an Esports at the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 in Patna.
NBC Sports
02-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kevin Moranz wins 2025 PulpMX Yamaha Privateer Challenge
DENVER, Colorado: Kevin Moranz finished second in both features of the PulpMX Yamaha Privateer Challenge and scored the overall victory in the annual race for riders who often need to advance through the Last Chance Qualifiers. 'Jerry Robin, you're in our thoughts and I want to do the most I can,' Moranz said. "[Kyle Chisholm] was racing for you ... but I have 10 percent going to you.' Moranz pocketed $30,000 for the victory. Moranz was lined up at the back to start the second race, but said from the top of the podium that the officials said anything goes on the start so he lined up with a wheel pointed to the inside and passed several riders before the first turn. Marshall Weltin finished seventh in the first race and won the second race for a combined score of eight. That was enough to place him second on the overall chart with Hardy Munoz (5-5) rounding out the podium. Fourth-place Hunter Schlosser (3-10) and Grant Harlan (116) rounded out the top five. Jerry Robin Road2Recovery Page In the first race, Kyle Chisholm, who was racing for Jerry Robin this week with his livery and proceeds to go to the injured rider, took the lead early when Harlan tipped over on Lap 1. He lined up at the tail of the field for the start of Race 2. 'I least I got one on the board for Jerry,' Chisholm said from the top of the box after winning the first race. 'I'll pick guys off one at a time and hope for the best.' Chisholm was coming through the field and in a position for third overall at the time, but got hooked with Devin Simonson in a bowl turn and went down. Justin Starling capitalized on trouble in the first race to start first and take the early lead, but his bike developed problems in Race 2 and Logan Karnow took the top spot when Starling retired. Marshal Weltin passed Karnow soon after and held that position until the checkers. More SuperMotocross News Ken Roczen to miss final two SX races Denver Preview | Betting Guide Drew Adams returns in Denver Pittsburgh Recap | 450 Results | 250 Results Seth Hammaker's Northeast success Justin Barcia to miss the final three SX rounds Jerry Robin paralyzed in NJ crash Mitchell Oldenburg renews with Beta Robbie Wageman returns to racing Jorge Prado returns to training
