EWC Chess 2026 Opens in Paris: Firouzja Voids Grand Chess Tour Season for Esports
Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja has withdrawn from the prestigious Grand Chess Tour to compete in the Esports World Cup in Paris. The move highlights the growing financial influence of esports, as the EWC offers significantly higher prize pools than traditional classical chess circuits.
Why it matters
This shift marks a potential turning point in professional chess, where players are increasingly prioritizing lucrative esports events over traditional, prestigious circuits.
The chess tournament at the 2026 Esports World Cup opened its Play-In stage this morning at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, marking the moment an esports prize pool has grown consequential enough to pull a top-10 grandmaster away from the most prestigious circuit in classical chess - permanently, and at a financial cost. Alireza Firouzja voided his GCT season entirely and accepted contractual penalties to be in Paris today, choosing a $1,500,000 prize pool over a tour whose full-season earnings for the current points leader sit below the EWC winner's first-place prize of $250,000.Twenty-two grandmasters - up from 16 at last year's inaugural event in Riyadh - will compete through August 15 for that $250,000 first-place prize plus club points feeding a separate $30 million Club Championship.
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