S8UL Welcomes Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram for Esports World Cup 2025

India’s esports and gaming giant S8UL has announced its official chess players for the Esports World Cup 2025. Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram will represent the team in this global tournament, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24.

The Mind Game Begins

The reveal came with a quirky video in which S8UL creators played a funny skit. Ankkita Chauhan acted as a ghost, teasing the cleverness and creative minds of the chess champions. The video acted like a teaser, setting the stage for the intense battles to come at EA Esports 2025.

Also Read: Naman Mathur: A Gaming Idol Who Showed India How and Where to Play!

Meet India’s Chess Stars for EWC 2025

S8UL’s decision to bring two of India’s finest grandmasters into esports marks a big moment.

• Aravindh Chithambaram is currently ranked 4th in India and 11th globally, holding a strong FIDE rating of 2749.
• Nihal Sarin is ranked 8th in India and 40th globally, with a FIDE rating 2687.

Before them, Arjun Erigaisi became the first Indian chess player to join an esports team by being signed by Gen.G.

Global Chess Icons at Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup 2025 is attracting the biggest names in global chess.

• Team Liquid: Magnus Carlsen (also an EWC ambassador), Fabiano Caruana
• Team Falcons: Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja
• Team Aurora (Serbia): Ian Nepomniachtchi
• LGD: Ding Liren

In total, 16 chess players will compete in the finals. Twelve will qualify through the 2025 Champions Chess Tour (CCT). Two online events, one in February and one in May, will act as qualifiers. The remaining four players will come through a ‘Last Chance Qualifier’.

Also Read: Valorant’s PNGA Selection: A Spectacular Showdown Awaits

Esports Meets Chess with Big Prize Pool

This is the first time online chess has been included in the Esports World Cup. And it’s not just for the prestige, the prize pool is a whopping $1.5 million for the chess category alone.

The event will feature 2,000 players and 200 teams from 24 popular esports titles fighting for a total prize pool of $70 million (around Rs 602 crore), making it the biggest multi-title esports tournament in history.

What Else is S8UL Competing In?

Apart from chess, S8UL will also send players to compete in four other games at the Esports World Cup:

• Tekken 8
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Apex Legends
• EAFC 25
• Valorant

For Apex Legends, S8UL recently announced an all-Australian lineup: Sharky, Jesko, and Legacy.

With GM Nihal Sarin and GM Aravindh Chithambaram joining S8UL, India is stepping boldly into a new age where strategy meets the screen. As chess goes digital at EWC 2025, fans can expect thrilling matches, bold plays, and a lot of Indian pride.