Vidit Gujrathi and Benjamin Bok got tickets to Mumbai LAN Finals after beating top GMs in brutal playoffs. One of them will now advance to Paris for $1.5M EWC 2026 Chess prize pool.
Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi and Dutch GM Benjamin Bok just made it to the India Rising: Road to EWC Chess LAN Finals in Mumbai, and the stakes are insane. They fought through a knockout playoff stage packed with world-class Grandmasters, and now only one of them will move forward to Paris for the Esports World Cup 2026.
How did Vidit Gujrathi and Benjamin Bok secured spot at India Rising?
The road to Mumbai wasn't easy. The playoffs came after a nine-round Swiss-format qualifier that had almost every big name in Indian chess.
Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Raunak Sadhwani, Karthikeyan Murali, Divya Deshmukh, V Pranav, M Pranesh, Pranav Anand, and Aravindh Chithambaram all played through that stage. Aravindh already qualified for EWC 2026 separately as the first Indian Grandmaster, so he wasn't in this fight.
Playoffs were streamed live on JioBLAST and Chess.com, with everyone competing on Chess.com servers. The format was pure knockout - one bad game and you're out.
Vidit's Mumbai Home Advantage
Vidit Gujrathi is from Mumbai, so the LAN Finals will be in his home city. That's a huge deal. He gets to play in front of a home crowd, which adds extra pressure but also extra energy. He said he's excited to compete where he grew up, especially for an event that connects competitive chess with the esports ecosystem.
Benjamin Bok's Strong Run
Benjamin Bok from the Netherlands didn't come to lose. He beat Karthikeyan Murali first, then took down Arjun Erigaisi, who's the World No. 11. That's a massive upset if you know chess rankings. Bok's path was just as tough as Vidit's, maybe tougher because he had to face a top-10 player in the bracket.
Now both of them are in Mumbai for the LAN Finals. One player wins, one player goes home. The winner gets to represent India at the final stage of Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris.
Mumbai LAN Finals Decide Everything
Vidit and Benjamin Bok are now waiting for the Mumbai LAN Finals. The India Rising LAN Finals in Mumbai will decide which player moves to Paris for EWC 2026 Chess. The tournament has a $1.5 million prize pool, and the top players from around the world will fight for it. Paris is where the real stage is.
Both have proven they can beat anyone when the pressure is high. Vidit has the home crowd support, but Bok has shown he can handle top players. Only one will go to Paris.
EWC 2026 happens from July 6 to August 23 in Paris, with over 2,000 players from 100+ countries. Chess is just one of 24 games, but for Indian chess fans, this is the one we're watching. Vidit Gujrathi and Benjamin Bok are now the ones standing between India and Paris.