Major Esports Organizations Sign Top Chess Grandmasters Ahead of 2026 World Cup
Elite gaming organizations including Fnatic, GodLike Esports, and 9z Team have signed top chess grandmasters to their rosters. The unprecedented wave of acquisitions is driven by the inclusion of chess in the 2026 Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
Esports Organizations 40%Chess Professionals 35%Regional Fanbases 25%
- Esports Organizations
- View chess as a strategic expansion to secure EWC club points and reach a new demographic.
- Chess Professionals
- Embrace esports contracts as a lucrative new revenue stream and a way to modernize the sport's image.
- Regional Fanbases
- Celebrate local chess prodigies and veterans gaining global backing from top-tier regional esports clubs.
What's not represented
- · Traditional FIDE officials
- · Non-digital classical chess purists
Why this matters
This merger of traditional chess and modern esports provides players with lucrative new career paths and sponsorships, while introducing the ancient game to millions of young digital sports fans globally.
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