Gm Mitrabha Guha Tops Regional Qualifier To Qualify For Esports Nations Cup
Hindustan Times
Riyadh, Indian Grandmaster Mitrabha Guha topped the regional qualifiers to book a place in the Indian chess contingent for the Esports Nations Cup here in November, joining compatriot Nihal Sarin in the squad. Sarin had secured a direct invitation through the
Champions Chess Tour Leaderboard.
Chess at ENC will feature 128 players competing for a prize pool of USD 600,000 . The competition will begin on November 2 and conclude with the playoff final on November 8. The ENC will run till November 29.
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 Norwegian superstar 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.
Another 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.
The regional qualifier for the West Asia, India, and Central Asia began with an open nine-round Swiss stage. 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.
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