Chess Sensation Praggnanandhaa Joins Carlsen's Team Liquid for Esports World Cup

Chess Powerhouse Praggnanandhaa Joins Magnus Carlsen's Team Liquid

Magnus Carlsen, the five-time world chess champion, has welcomed Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa to Team Liquid. The 19-year-old prodigy will represent the team at the Esports World Cup, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 29 to August 1.

Chess Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa receives congratulations in Chennai.

Team Liquid announced the signing on X, stating, "Before chess conquered the world, it was born in India. For centuries, India has shaped the game. Now, it shapes the future. Praggnanandhaa R carries that legacy forward — and today, he joins ours. Welcome to Team Liquid. The future of chess starts here."

Carlsen playfully responded, "Whole lot of letters in Praggnanandhaa, but no «I». Welcome to the team."

Praggnanandhaa expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Super excited to be part of Team Liquid! From India to the world, let’s take chess to the next level together!”

He is the fourth Indian chess player to join an esports franchise, following in the footsteps of Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and Aravindh Chithambaram.

Arjun Erigaisi is currently with Generation Gaming (Gen.G), while Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram are part of the India-based S8UL roster.

Video: A 4-year-old chess prodigy from India.

Arjun Erigaisi has already secured his spot at the Esports World Cup, which will feature only 16 participants. Confirmed participants include Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, as well as Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja (both with Team Falcons), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Aurora), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (NAVI), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Team Vitality), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Twisted Minds), Wei Yi (Weibo), Vladislav Artemiev (Team Spirit), and Vladimir Fedoseev.

Praggnanandhaa will compete for Team Liquid in the Last Chance Qualifiers, where prominent chess figures will compete for the four remaining slots. The lineup includes reigning world champion Ding Liren (LGD), Wesley So (NAVI), Oleksandr Bortnyk (NAVI), Anish Giri (Team Secret), and Daniil Dubov (Team Spirit).