Heartbreak for Indian chess fans as Vidit falls in Mumbai; Bok seals EWC berth

Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi's bid to qualify for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 ended in heartbreak as Dutch Grandmaster Benjamin Bok edged him 2-1 in sets in the final of the India Rising: Road to EWC at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai last Saturday.Bok sealed the lone qualification spot from the India-specific pathway to the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, joining an elite 22-player field. India already has three players qualified for the main event: Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi. Vidit had entered the summit clash after impressive wins over M Pranesh and Raunak Sadhwani, while Bok produced one of the standout performances of the tournament by eliminating Karthikeyan Murali and India No. 1 Arjun Erigaisi.Ahead of the final, Vidit had spoken about how much qualifying for the EWC meant after narrowly missing out last year."The Esports World Cup is a very interesting tournament. Last year, I tried to play the Last Chance Qualifier. I was leading the tournament, but in the last three rounds, I messed up and fell short," he had told TimesofIndia.com."I had flown to Riyadh specifically from the US, and it was very painful to know that after all those efforts, I couldn't qualify. Now I have another chance to qualify... I'm hoping that this time around I can make it."The Indian Grandmaster had also highlighted the significance of hosting the LAN Finals in Mumbai."There are very few major tournaments held in India, so I was excited about the opportunity. I was hoping to make it to the finals in India so that my friends and family could come and watch me play in person," he had said.The players will have one more shot at reaching the Esports World Cup through the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) later this year, where the final five spots for the main event will be up for grabs. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.