Chess US grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky passed away at the age of 29 on Sunday. The news was initially shared by Charlotte Chess Center, where Naroditsky held a senior staff position and served as a central figure in the community. The grandmaster’s passing was confirmed by chess.com. Narodisky was three weeks away from turning 30, and had been long known as one of the United States’ most talented player, according to chess.com.

His family shared an official statement regarding the passing:

“Daniel was a talented chess player, commentator, and educator, and a cherished member of the chess community, admired and respected by fans and players around the world. He was also a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend to many.”

The family asked for privacy during this difficult time. 

Various leaders in the chess community shared their condolences online, including Hikaru Nakamura, Nemo Zhou, and Levy Rozman. The reason for death has not been publicized.

Daniel Naroditsky achieved the title of grandmaster at the age of 18 in 2013. He hit a peak rating 2647 in 2017, having first been introduced to the game by his father at six years old. Hailed as a prodigy, Narodisky became the youngest player ever to win the Northern California K-12 Chess Championship. Chess.com provided replays of historic matches to commemorate Naroditsky’s legacy. 

Fortnite streamer DrLupo was disqualified from the PogChamps $100,000 reward pool chess tournament, which featured celebrity creators and professional athletes. The alleged cheating occurred midway through a chess match, where 650-rated DrLupo was being cornered by higher-ranked player Wolfe “Wolfey” Glick, who is rated 1340.

“DrLupo has been closed for a fair play violation that occured during today’s Pogchamps event,” Chess.com posted on X, indicating his prompt removal upon being allegedly caught cheating. 

During the match where the alleged cheating occurred, DrLupo played his moves flawlessly after leaving his queen unprotected. Discussions regarding the competitive integrity of his moves were brought up in a chess enthusiast community; the resounding agreement is that DrLupo performed moves far more advanced than a 600-level player should be capable of. DrLupo’s position is not helped by his official disqualification and public statement from Chess.com. 

Despite all the readily available evidence pointing toward his cheating, DrLupo claims he “didn’t cheat” and instead “had a good game and got rolled the rest of the day.” He stated that he had left his monitor on to watch other games and that he willingly decided to drop out of the event to help Chess.com enforce competitive integrity. 

The first-place winner of PogChamps 6 won $20,000, while the second-place winner won $14,000; more details regarding the tournament can be found on the official Chess.com website.

Chess at the Esports World Cup 2025 will be played in a rapid 10+0 format, meaning competitors will have 10 minutes on the clock with no opportunity to get additional time.

The inaugural Chess tournament at the EWC will be hosted by the Esports World Cup Foundation in collaboration with Chess.com and grandmaster Magnus Carlsen as a global ambassador.

In order to compete for the $1.5-million prize pool, European esports organization Team Secret has officially signed with Anish Kumar Giri, a Dutch chess grandmaster.

Besides Team Secret powering up, Wolves Esports has signed 2014 Chess Olympiad gold winner Yu Yangyi, while Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has joined Korean team Gen.G. At the same time, Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana have signed with Team Liquid.

The Chinese team LGD Gaming has brought in former world champion Ding Liren, and Team Vitality secured Maxime “MVL” Vachier-Lagrave. Esports giant Navi has expanded into chess as well, adding top players like Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So and Oleksandr Bortnyk to its roster. Meanwhile, grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura joined Team Falcons and Aurora Gaming powered up with Ian Nepomniachtchi.

In collaboration with Chess.com, the Esports World Cup Foundation is thrilled to host the world’s top online chess players in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they’ll compete for a $1.5-million prize pool. Adding to the excitement, grandmaster Carlsen joins Esports World Cup Chess as a global ambassador.

Notably, according to the International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, which is commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE, when the game offers 10 minutes or less per player, it is categorized as a game of blitz chess.

In 2025, the EWC will feature a total $70-million prize pool distributed among competitions in 25 disciplines. Besides that, Esports World Cup 2025 will be powered by a $20-million Esports World Club Partner Program aimed at marketing and content campaigns in collaboration with 40 esports organizations.

Besides Chess, the EWC 2025 games lineup includes Valorant, Rocket League, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Women’s Invitational), Teamfight Tactics, Call of Duty: Warzone, Honor of Kings, Street Fighter 6, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Free Fire, PUBG, CrossFire, Rennsport, Apex Legends, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, EA Sports FC, StarCraft II, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Tekken 8, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six Siege and Dota 2.

Anish Kumar Giri, a Dutch chess grandmaster, has officially signed with European esports organization Team Secret ahead of the Esports World Cup 2025.

A five-time Dutch champion (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2023), Giri completed the requirements for the grandmaster title in 2009 at the age of 14. Anish represented the Netherlands at seven Chess Olympiads (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024). As of the time of writing, Anish Giri was ranked 19th globally by chess.com. 

Team Secret joins a growing list of major organizations venturing into the chess esports scene as chess is about to debut as a discipline in the Esports World Cup, featuring a $1.5 million prize pool. The tournament will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 31 – Aug. 3, 2025.

Besides Team Secret powering up, Wolves Esports has signed 2014 Chess Olympiad gold winner Yu Yangyi, while Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has joined Korean team Gen.G. At the same time, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana have signed with Team Liquid.

Chinese team LGD Gaming has brought in former world champion Ding Liren, and Team Vitality secured Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave. Esports giant NAVI has expanded into chess as well, adding top players like Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk to its roster. Meanwhile, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura joined Team Falcons and Aurora Gaming powered up with Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Esports World Cup 2025 will feature a total $70m prize pool that will be distributed among competitions in 25 disciplines. On top of that EWC 2025 will be powered by a $20 million Esports World Club Partner Program aimed at marketing and content campaigns in collaboration with 40 esports organizations.

Besides Chess EWC 2025 games lineup includes Counter-Strike 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Warzone, Free Fire, Street Fighter 6, DOTA 2, Rainbow Six Siege, PUBG Mobile, Apex Legends, EA Sports FC, Overwatch 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Women’s Invitational), Rocket League, Rennsport, Honor of Kings, PUBG, CrossFire, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, Valorant, Tekken 8, and StarCraft II.

All twenty-five disciplines are now confirmed for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, which kicks off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 8.

EWC 2025 games lineup:

• Chess – confirmed dates July 31 – Aug. 3 
• Counter-Strike 2 – confirmed dates Aug. 20-24

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Free Fire
• Street Fighter 6
• DOTA 2
• Rainbow Six Siege
• PUBG Mobile
• Apex Legends
• EA Sports FC
• Overwatch 2
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Women’s Invitational)
• Rocket League
• Rennsport
• Honor of Kings
• PUBG
• CrossFire
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
• League of Legends
• Teamfight Tactics
• Valorant
• Tekken 8
• StarCraft II

After a successful inaugural event in 2024, which saw over $60 million in prize money, this year’s competition is gearing up for even more action as it features one more discipline – chess. And it looks like the very first competition for the EWC chess title and a $1.5 million prize pool is going to be intense, as elite chess players are getting signed by top-tier esports organizations. Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has joined Korean team Gen.G, while Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana have signed with Team Liquid. Chinese team LGD Gaming has brought in former world champion Ding Liren, and Team Vitality secured Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave. Esports giant NAVI has expanded into chess as well, adding top players like Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk to its roster. Meanwhile, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura joined Team Falcons and Aurora Gaming powered up with Ian Nepomniachtchi.

EWC 2024 winners:

• Apex Legends – ALLIANCE
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – ATLANTA FAZE
• Call of Duty: Warzone – TEAM FALCONS
• Counter-Strike 2 – NATUS VINCERE
• Dota2 – GAIMIN GLADIATORS
• EA Sports FC – jafonso
• ESL R1 – Drivers: Kevin Siggy
• ESL R1 – Teams: TEAM REDLINE
• Fortnite – XSET
• Free Fire – TEAM FALCONS
• Honor of Kings – KPL DREAM TEAM
• League of Legends – T1
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – SELANGOR RED GIANTS
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women – SMART OMEGA EMPRESS
• Overwatch 2 – CRAZY RACCOON
• PUBG MOBILE – ALPHA 7 ESPORTS
• PUBG PC – SONIQS
• Rainbow Six Siege – TEAM BDS
• Rocket League – TEAM BDS
• Starcraft II – Clem
• Street Fighter 6 – xiaohai
• Teamfight Tactics – WOLVES ESPORTS
• Tekken 8 – ULSAN

Chinese chess grandmaster Yu Yangyi has joined Wolves Esports ahead of the Esports World Cup 2025. The electronic sports arm of the English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers officially welcomed a new team member with a post on its website.

As of the time of writing, The 28-year-old chess player is ranked 28th globally by chess.com. Yu Yangyi qualified for the Grandmaster title at the age of fourteen. He won a gold medal in the 41st Chess Olympiad 2014 as a member of the Chinese team and secured the individual gold medal in the same Chess Olympiad, thanks to his performance rating of 2912, the best of the entire event. 

It is worth noting that chess is about to debut as a discipline in the Esports World Cup, featuring a $1.5 million prize pool. The tournament will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 31 – Aug. 3, 2025.

Wolves Esports joins a growing list of major organizations venturing into the chess esports scene as Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has joined Korean team Gen.G. At the same time, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana have signed with Team Liquid. Chinese team LGD Gaming has brought in former world champion Ding Liren, and Team Vitality secured Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave. Esports giant NAVI has expanded into chess as well, adding top players like Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk to its roster. Meanwhile, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura joined Team Falcons and Aurora Gaming powered up with Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Russian chess grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi has officially signed with Aurora Gaming. The reigning Blitz Chess World Champion (shared with Magnus Carlsen), he became the first-ever chess player to join the roster of the Serbian esports organization.

Nepomniachtchi, who is currently the highest-ranked chess player in Russia and holds ninth place in the rankings of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), will represent Aurora Gaming at major upcoming events, starting with the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events in February and May. Besides that, Nepomniachtchi will compete at the 2025 Esports World Cup, which kicks off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025.

Aurora Gaming expressed excitement over the addition, stating on X: “We’re happy to announce that a famous Dota streamer, grandmaster and the World Champion, Ian Nepomniachtchi, is joining the Aurora family and will represent our colours at the CCT and EWC. Welcome home, Nepo.”

The Serbian organization joins a growing list of top esports teams that have embraced chess as part of their rosters. Other notable signings include Hikaru Nakamura with Team Falcons, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk with NAVI, Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen with Team Liquid and LGD Gaming with Ding Liren.

Saudi Arabian esports organization Team Falcons has signed American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, one of the world’s top chess players and a major figure in chess streaming.

Nakamura, a five-time US Chess Champion and current World Fischer Random Chess Champion, has signed with the team ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC). The tournament, where chess is about to debut as an official competition, will take place from July 31 to Aug. 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a $1.5 million prize pool.

To qualify for the EWC, Nakamura will need to perform well in the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events. The qualification process is fierce, with only the top 12 players from the CCT guaranteed spots. The remaining four spots will be up for grabs in a Last Chance Qualifier.

It looks like the very first competition for the EWC chess title is going to be intense, as other elite chess players have also teamed up with top-tier esports organizations in recent months. Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has joined Korean team Gen.G, while American stars Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen have signed with Team Liquid. Chinese team LGD Gaming has brought in former world champion Ding Liren, and Team Vitality secured Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave. Esports giant NAVI has expanded into chess as well, adding top players like Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk to its roster.

Hikaru earned his grandmaster title at the age of 15 and has represented the United States at seven Chess Olympiads (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), securing a team gold medal and two team bronze medals.

With a peak rating of 2816, he is the tenth-highest-rated player in history, according to The International Chess Federation (FIDE) estimates. At the time of writing, he holds the third place in FIDE’s rating with 2802 points behind only Fabiano Caruana (2803) and Magnus Carlsen (2833).

It is worth noting that Nakamura has already been a part of competitive gaming teams before. In 2020, he signed a six-figure deal with North American team TSM but ended his association with them in 2022. Shortly after, he inked a deal with Misfits Gaming Group, where he received resources for content creation.

Ukrainian esports organization Natus Vincere (NAVI) has signed three grandmasters: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk. As of February 17, Abdusattorov ranks sixth in the world.

NAVI shared the news on Twitter, welcoming the new players to the team and stating “NAVI is expanding to chess.” 

The NAVI chess team will be competing in their first Chessable Masters online championship, which has a prize pool of $150,000 (USD). This tournament began on February 16, and is separated into two phases: Swiss and Match Play.

The Chessable Masters online championship serves as one of two qualification events for the 2025 Esports World Cup, widely regarded as one of the year’s most significant esports tournaments. With the Esports World Cup Foundation recognized as an official founding partner of the Olympic Esports Games, numerous esports organizations have rushed to establish their own chess teams in hopes of participating in the Olympics. 

NAVI esports was founded in 2009, and currently has teams across 11 different esports titles. These titles include Call of Duty: Warzone, Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, Valorant, Mobile Legends, and now chess. The organization’s most esteemed esport teams are its Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2. 

The 17th World Chess Champion, Ding Liren, has signed with LGD Gaming, marking his return to competitive chess after a brief hiatus, which followed his defeat by GM Gukesh Dommaraju in December 2024.

The announcement came via LGD’s official Weibo account, confirming the 32-year-old Grandmaster’s commitment to the esports organization. Ding will be competing in the Chessable Masters, a qualifier event for the upcoming Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where chess is about to debut as an official competition from July 31 to Aug. 3 and will feature a $1.5 million prize pool.

Besides the fact that Ding is the 17th World Chess Champion from 2023–24, he is also a three-time Chinese Chess Champion and used to be a member of the Chinese chess teams that won the Chess Olympiads in 2014 and 2018. 

Liren became the first Chinese player who managed to pass the 2800 Elo mark on the FIDE world rankings, in which he held 17th place at the time of writing.

Ding is not alone in joining the esports chess craze. Other notable grandmasters such as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Arjun Erigaisi, and Fabiano Caruana have also signed with esports organizations like Team Vitality, Gen.G Esports, and Team Liquid.

The qualification process for the 2025 Chess EWC will take place through the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events in February and May, with a combined prize pool of $300,000. The top 12 from these events, along with four players from the “Last Chance Qualifier,” will compete for the prestigious title.

Ding Liren ‘s new team was founded in 2009, and for now, LGD Gaming, based in Hangzhou, is one of China’s oldest esports organizations, with a storied history in titles like Dota 2, League of Legends, and PUBG Mobile. It seems only natural that the organization is ramping up its roster ahead of the Chess EWC.