Magnus Carlsen Welcomes Chess Prodigy Praggnanandhaa to Team Liquid for Esports World Cup

Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen has welcomed 19-year-old R Praggnanandhaa to Team Liquid ahead of the Esports World Cup, scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 29 to August 1.

Chess grandmaster Praggnanandhaa being congratulated in Chennai.

"Before chess conquered the world, it was born in India. For centuries, India has shaped the game. Now, it shapes the future. Praggnanandhaa R. carries that legacy forward — and today, he joins ours. Welcome to Team Liquid. The future of chess starts here," Team Liquid announced on X.

Carlsen responded with a touch of humor, stating, "Whole lot of letters in Praggnanandhaa, but no «I». Welcome to the team."

Praggnanandhaa also expressed his enthusiasm: “Super excited to be part of Team Liquid! From India to the world, let’s take chess to the next level together!”

Praggnanandhaa is the fourth Indian chess player to join an esports franchise, following Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and Aravindh Chithambaram.

Arjun Erigaisi has been signed by Generation Gaming (Gen.G), while Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram are on the roster of India-based S8UL.

Video: The World's Youngest Rated Chess Player is from India.

Arjun is currently the only player guaranteed a spot at the Esports World Cup, which will host only 16 participants. Confirmed participants include Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, who are part of the group of 12 grandmasters with secured positions.

Other players on the list include Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja (both with Team Falcons), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Aurora), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (NAVI), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Team Vitality), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Twisted Minds), Wei Yi (Weibo), Vladislav Artemiev (Team Spirit), and Vladimir Fedoseev.

R Praggnanandhaa will represent Team Liquid in the Last Chance Qualifiers, where prominent chess players will compete for the four remaining spots. The lineup includes reigning world champion Ding Liren (LGD), Wesley So (NAVI), Oleksandr Bortnyk (NAVI), Anish Giri (Team Secret), and Daniil Dubov (Team Spirit).