Chess Sensation Praggnanandhaa Joins Forces with Magnus Carlsen on Team Liquid

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 welcomed 19-year-old R Praggnanandhaa to his Team Liquid ahead of the Esports World Cup. The event is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 29 to August 1.

Team Liquid announced the signing on X, stating: “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 responded with a witty remark: "Whole lot of letters in Praggnanandhaa, but no «I». Welcome to the team."

Praggnanandhaa expressed his enthusiasm, stating: “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.

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

Other prominent players 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. He will compete against some of the most renowned names in chess for one of the four remaining slots. The lineup for the qualifiers includes reigning world champion Ding Liren (LGD), Wesley So (NAVI), Oleksandr Bortnyk (NAVI), Anish Giri (Team Secret), and Daniil Dubov (Team Spirit).