Through the India Rising event, India secured a permanent qualification path on the official World Esports World Cup roadmap, with Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi facing Dutch Grandmaster Benjamin Bok in Saturday’s top-flight clash for a coveted spot in the 14-player Esports. Chess World Cup list “ “India is one of the most important growth markets in global esports. It combines enormous scale, a young and digitally connected population, globally competitive talent, and a gaming community that continues to expand every year,” observed McCabe. “
“Whenever you’re building something that’s never been done before, alignment becomes one of the biggest challenges,” Cowdrey admitted. “We worked with several global partners, each bringing different expertise but united by the same ambition… Finding the right balance between competitive integrity, accessibility and fun required months of collaboration and planning with EWC, BLAST, Jio, Chess.com and more.““Countries that are successful in the long term are those that build durable structures around players rather than relying on short-term momentum,” explains McCabe. “India Rising creates something that every developing esports ecosystem needs: a credible pathway from grassroots competition to the global stage.”READ ALSO: Vidit Gujrathi Exclusive: “India is a chess powerhouse, but still far from becoming an esports hub”“This is India’s moment,” McCabe concluded. The country already has the talent, the passion, and the scale to become one of the defining forces in global sports.”