3 min readFeb 11, 2026 06:15 PM IST Seven of the top chess players in the world, including India’s Praggnanandhaa R, have written an open letter to tournament organisers raising the issue of clashes on the calendar, particularly with the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and the Esports World Cup chess event. Besides Praggnanandhaa, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave have also put their names under the open letter. The letter speaks about ‘serious concern about the scheduling conflict between the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and the Esports World Cup chess events’. The players wrote that while their intention was not to criticize either event, they were writing the letter to try and resolve the situation. “Resolving the situation is now the players’ clear and immediate priority,” the letter read. “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.” Here’s …