Today, August 12, Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov, a representative of the Ukrainian organization NAVI, began his campaign in the group stage of the chess tournament as part of the Esports World Cup 2026.
Abdusattor was drawn into Group A, where he faced Indian grandmaster Pranesh Munirethinam in the quarterfinals of the upper bracket. The NAVI player secured a confident 2–0 victory.
The group stage will take place on August 12–13 using a double-elimination format. Each match consists of two games with a time control of 10 minutes, no byo-byo. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined in an Armageddon tiebreaker.
The top four players from each group will advance to the playoffs, which will take place on August 14–15.
Today, Abdusattorov will also play a match to qualify for the playoffs. His next opponent will be Polish grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda. The match will begin after the other group matches have concluded.
The total prize fund for the EWC 2026 chess tournament is $1.5 million. The winner will receive $250,000 and 1,000 points toward the club standings.
NAVI Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov secured two wins in Group A and advanced to the playoffs of the 2026 Esports World Cup.
On his way to the tournament’s decisive stage, Abdusattorov faced Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who represents Weibo. The Ukrainian club’s grandmaster confidently defeated his opponent with a score of 2–0.
Advancing to the playoffs guaranteed Abdusattorov at least $75,000 in prize money. In addition, his result earned NAVI 200 EWC points. Nodirbek will continue his campaign in this tournament at a later date.
Abdusattorov will try to improve on last year’s result at the EWC
NAVI Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov will represent the club at the 2026 Esports World Cup, having received an invitation based on his performance in the 2025–26 Champions Chess Tour season. Strong results throughout the season and a sufficient number of rating points allowed the Uzbek chess player to qualify for the tournament directly via his seasonal rating.
At the same time, Abdusattorov’s path to the EWC was not without setbacks. The chess player was unable to qualify for the tournament through the 2026 Chess.com Open, but his consistent play throughout the season ultimately secured him the coveted spot. Thus, Nodirbek will compete in the world championship as part of NAVI for the second time in a row.
This year’s tournament will give the grandmaster an opportunity to improve upon his result at the 2025 EWC. Last year, Abdusattorov finished in 5th–8th place, earning NAVI 200 points toward the club standings.
Nodirbek heads into the 2026 Esports World Cup with strong credentials as one of the favorites. In 2026, the NAVI player has already won the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament and subsequently triumphed in the Masters category at the Prague International Chess Festival. These results only confirm his high level of play ahead of the EWC’s main chess tournament.
Currently, NAVI is in third place in the overall club standings. NAVI’s representatives in chess, Counter-Strike, CrossFire, and Trackmania will attempt to climb higher in the rankings and earn additional points for the club.
For the second year in a row, the Ukrainian studio Maincast will broadcast the grandmasters’ entire tournament run at the Esports World Cup. You can watch the matches on the studio’s Twitch and YouTube channels.