Chess
Praggnanandhaa and others issue open letter about "clash of events"
The letter was signed by Praggnanandhaa, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Vincent Keymer, and Anish Giri.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (Photo credit: Grand Chess Tour)
Seven top Grandmasters, including India's Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, have issued a call for help regarding clash of multiple high profile events in the 2026 calendar.
In an open letter posted by GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on social media, the players have raised concerns regarding a clash in schedule for the 2026 Esports World Cup and the 2026 Grand Chess Tour.
"We are writing to express serious concern about the scheduling conflict between the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and the Esports World Cup chess events," the letter read.
"The Esports World Cup is scheduled for August 6-8 (Last Chance Qualifier) and August 11-15 (Main Event). The Grand Chess Tour has scheduled the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz for August 2-6 and the Sinquefield Cup for August 10-20. These dates directly overlap, making participation in both effectively impossible," it further added.
The Grandmasters termed these two of the biggest event in the calendar and alleged that they received no response from the organisers of both events despite raising the issue.
"These are two of the most important tournaments on the calendar. A clash of this scale prevents many of the world's best players from participating in both competitions. It puts players and teams in conflict with existing professional and contractual commitments, undermines competitive integrity, and deprives fans of the strongest possible fields.
"Top-level sport should aim to bring the best competitors together - not force them to choose between major stages. Avoiding direct conflicts between flagship events is a basic principle in other professional sports, and chess should strive for the same standard.
"Players and teams raised this issue with both organizers earlier and received replies, but no scheduling adjustment followed. Discussions have since stalled completely, leaving players with no visibility. With qualification paths already underway, the conflict is becoming concrete. Resolving this situation is now the players' clear and immediate priority," the letter read.
The Grandmasters called for the organisers to reopen dialogue and explore "practical solution" to the issue.
Apart from Praggnanandhaa and Vachier-Lagrave, the letter was signed by Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Vincent Keymer, and Anish Giri.