Carlsen's Team Liquid Adds Chess Prodigy Praggnanandhaa Ahead of Esports World Cup

Chess World Buzzes as Magnus Carlsen Welcomes Praggnanandhaa to Team Liquid

Magnus Carlsen, the five-time world champion, has officially welcomed the prodigious R Praggnanandhaa to his esteemed Team Liquid. This strategic move comes just ahead of the highly anticipated Esports World Cup, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 29 to August 1.

Team Liquid, in a statement released on X, emphasized the historical significance of India in shaping the game of chess. “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,” the team declared.

Carlsen himself playfully acknowledged the young grandmaster's arrival, stating, "Whole lot of letters in Praggnanandhaa, but no «I». Welcome to the team."

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

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

Arjun Erigaisi previously joined Generation Gaming (Gen.G), while Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram are part of the India-based S8UL roster.

Arjun Erigaisi has already secured his place at the Esports World Cup, which will host only 16 participants. Alongside him, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana are among the twelve grandmasters with confirmed spots. Other notable players include Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja (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 figures in chess will compete for the remaining four slots. The lineup for these qualifiers includes reigning world champion Ding Liren (LGD), Wesley So (NAVI), Oleksandr Bortnyk (NAVI), Anish Giri (Team Secret), and Daniil Dubov (Team Spirit).