Aravindh Chithambaram recently became the first Indian GM to qualify for this year’s Esports World Cup, to be hosted in Riyadh. He will be representing the Mumbai-based esports organisation S8UL in the tournament and secured his berth by winning the Road to EWC qualifier in Atlanta.
The tournament will also feature defending champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen qualified for the tournament as the defending champion. For participating players and fans, the main mission will be to outplay Carlsen.
‘If someone can believe that they can take on Magnus, then it’s very much possible’
Speaking to Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview, the 26-year-old claimed it is possible to defeat the Norwegian and that players just need to believe in themselves.
“It is very much possible. You know, whoever is on their best day will win the match. If someone can believe that they can take on Magnus, then it’s very much possible, I feel,” he said.
The Esports World Cup has also given chess players around the world more opportunities to compete. Chess entered the World Cup last year, and it garnered plenty of attention.
Opening up on his partnership with S8UL, he said, “So the team approached me during the Prague Masters. So I thought it was a great opportunity for me to represent the team in various tournaments.”
Verdict on D Gukesh, R Vaishali’s upcoming World C’ship matches
For Indian chess fans, the main event this year will be the upcoming World Chess Championships. In the men’s category, defending champion D Gukesh will face Javokhir Sindarov, who won the 2026 Candidates tournament. Many fans and players feel the Uzbek GM has a better chance of winning, given Gukesh’s poor form since becoming world champion. But Chithambaram feels that it won’t be a one-sided match and backed Gukesh to perform.
“People are saying that it will be a one-sided match. I don’t believe in that. I think it will be close, it will be 50-50. Sindarov is also playing well. Once Gukesh gets back to form, I think, chess-wise, both are equally good. It is just a matter of time. Anything can happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the women’s section, R Vaishali will face defending champion Ju Wenjun. “This should be interesting. I believe that chess-wise, both are equally good. But you know, like, Ju Wenjun has this advantage. There are so many world champions from China, and she also has experience. It gives her some advantage. But Vaishali can get momentum, like in Candidates, when she won her game against Tan. Nobody could stop her. So if she can get that momentum, I think it will be a very close game,” he said.
He also feels there is less pressure on Vaishali because of Wenjun’s status as the world’s best.
A late bloomer?
Last year, after Chithambharam won the Prague Masters, his childhood coach, RB Ramesh, called him India’s most talented chess player after Viswanathan Anand. “Maybe he will change his opinion if you ask him the same question now,” Chithambaram joked.
He has also been labelled as a late bloomer. Speaking on his late rise, the 26-year-old said, “Maybe I did not have goals earlier. Maybe, at some point, I started setting goals and wanted to achieve something. My mindset was changed.”
