Magnus Carlsen skipping Grand Chess Tour for Esports World Cup confirmed by Hikaru Nakamura: 'I dont think...'

American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has confirmed that World No.1 Magnus Carlsen will not be participating in the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) as he is set to take part in the Esports World Cup (EWC). Both the tournaments take place during the same window, meaning players will have to chose one between the two events.

World No.2 Nakamura also revealed that French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja will also be playing the Esports World Cup, meaning another high profile exit from the Grand Chess Tour.

Nakamura confirms Carlsen's GCT exit

Nakamura has made it clear that he alongside Carlsen and Alireza will be participating in the Esports World Cup instead of the Grand Chess Tour. He said that the dates of both the tournaments are set to remain the same, leading to players having to pick one over the other.

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“As far as I know, neither EWC nor GCT have changed the dates. I’m going to be playing EWC. Alireza Firouzja is going to be playing EWC. He made the choice of playing EWC over the Grand Chess Tour. Magnus, of course, will be playing the EWC," Nakamura said.

"I don’t think anything’s going to be changing. I think the dates are going to be what they are, and players are going to pick one or the other. I guess that’s it," he further added.

The “Last chance” qualification tournament for the Esports World Cup is scheduled to take place from August 6-8, while the main tournament is planned for August 11-15. The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament, part of the Grand Chess Tour, will take place from August 2-6.

Grand Chess Tour 2026, which consist of six tournaments with a total prize pool of $2,000,000, begins May 5 in Warsaw. Esports World Cup is an annual international gaming tournament with a $1,500,000 prize pool.