The first-ever Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, will feature chess as the 16th title. This is a great mix of mind sports and esports. Chess will be held from November 2 to 8, and it will have a record 128 national representatives. This is one of the biggest international chess tournaments ever. Chess.com streams games on Twitch and YouTube, reaching over 100 million users and letting gamers watch quick battles from anywhere.
The format is a mix of fair play and hype: 128 players start in 16 groups of 8, and the top 4 from each group move on to a 64-player single-elimination round. The best-of-2 groups and the best-of-4 finals are for the QF and final rounds. What happens if there are ties? Armageddon rush: White has draws, but Black needs wins. All Rapid 10+0 (10 minutes flat, no inc)—tactics sharp, aggression hot, and ready to stream.
Quals open doors all over the world: 64 CCT-ranked invites (cut off May 26, 2026, 1/nation max). Chess.com will have online regionals on June 6–7 and 13–14 in seven areas: North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania. Each event will have four slots, or eight per region. 8 wildcards of different types. No CCT country? Up to two qualifications; ranked one? 1 more. Wide rep like the Olympics.
Builds Chess.com’s ENC pub role and the “25 EWC” (20 countries). EWCF puts it together with Dota, CS2, and Valorant in a pool worth more than $60 million. Chess has millions of views. Rapid/Armageddon kills draw hell; arena-ready with multiple boards, engine overlays, and team stories.
India’s Gukesh, Pragg, and Arjun squad is in the top 5, while the US has Caruana, Aronian, and So. China has Ding and Wei Yi, and Russia is neutral. South Africa’s Campos shines like Chile’s Campos. Women leads: Ju, Goryachkina, and Tan.
Esports chess is on the rise: annuals, Olympic shots (FIDE workaround). Biz: Red Bull, tech, merch, and hybrid feeds. Holo-boards, VR, and AI are all next-level.
Problems? 10+0 consistency test; Armageddon ends it; clear picks dodge drama. Purists complain quickly, but there are more than 50,000 classical fans.
EWCF gets it right: mindsports home. Cafes in Riyadh roar, and on November 26, the nation fights—128 players from 64 countries for one cup. Chess wins the esports crown.
