Praggnanandhaa Joins Team Liquid: Magnus Carlsen Welcomes Chess Prodigy Ahead of Esports World Cup

Chennai: Chess grandmaster Praggnanandhaa after being felicitated by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin at his camp office, in Chennai. (PTI Photo) (PTI06_12_2025_000215B)

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

Team Liquid announced on X: “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.”

Carlsen humorously responded, "Whole lot of letters in Praggnanandhaa, but no «I». Welcome to the team."

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

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

Arjun Erigaisi is currently the only player who has secured his place at the Esports World Cup, which will feature a total of 16 participants. Confirmed participants include Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, both prominent figures among the 12 grandmasters with guaranteed spots.

Other notable players who have qualified are Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja (both representing 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.

Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa will be competing under Team Liquid in the Last Chance Qualifiers. This event will showcase some of the biggest names in chess, all vying for one of the four remaining spots. The lineup for the qualifiers includes current world champion Ding Liren (LGD), Wesley So (NAVI), Oleksandr Bortnyk (NAVI), Anish Giri (Team Secret), and Daniil Dubov (Team Spirit).