Paris, Aug. 13 -- The battle for the Playoffs at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 Chess tournament enters its decisive stage on Thursday, with Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Pranesh M set to compete in the Lower Bracket (LB) following an eventful opening day in Group A.

With only two players from each group's LB advancing to the Playoffs, the Indian trio will need to navigate the second day of the Group Stage successfully to keep their title hopes alive, according to a press release from EWC.

Arjun, representing Gen.G Esports, began his campaign with a 2-0 victory over fellow Indian and S8UL Esports player Nihal in a repeat of last year's EWC Group Stage opener.

However, his Upper Bracket (UB) run came to an end ag...