Breaking Update: Here’s a clear explanation of the latest developments related to Breaking News:Top Players Issue Open Letter Over 2026 Calendar Clash– What Just Happened and why it matters right now.
Seven of the world’s leading players have published an open letter expressing frustration about a scheduling conflict in August between this year’s Grand Chess Tour and the Esports World Cup.
The letter, signed by GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and Anish Giri, warns that overlapping dates would prevent players from competing in two of the most prestigious events of the year.
Two major chess events. One calendar clash.
We’ve published an open letter calling for better coordination between the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and the Esports World Cup — so qualified players can compete in both. pic.twitter.com/jPq3jMU0Hu
— MVL (@Vachier_Lagrave) February 10, 2026
The Grand Chess Tour, founded in 2015, has grown into one of the forces on the chess calendar for the world’s best players, now with a mix of classical and speed chess events. The 2026 tour will feature a $2 million prize fund for the six tournaments, including at least $350,000 for the Sinquefield Cup—one of the strongest classical tournaments of the year.
The Esports World Cup, meanwhile, represents a newer, but increasingly influential presence in top-level speed chess. It made its debut in 2025 with a $1.55 million prize fund, and GM Magnus Carlsen captured the $250,000 first prize—one of the largest payouts ever awarded in a non-World Championship event.
This year, however, it looks like players will face a dilemma. The Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is scheduled for:
- Last Chance Qualifier: August 6-8
- Main Event: August 11-15
The Grand Chess Tour’s Saint Louis events are confirmed for:
- Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: July 31-August 7
- Sinquefield Cup: August 8-21
- GCT Finals: August 21-28
The most significant overlap comes between the EWC Main event (August 11-15) and the Sinquefield Cup (August 8-21), with players forced to pick events. The seven players who signed the letter have all been confirmed for the Grand Chess Tour.
The players said:
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.
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 grandmasters in open letter
The players also noted they don’t want to criticize either event and instead called for renewed dialogue and efforts to find solutions that would allow players to compete in both tournaments.
Grand Chess Tour was quick to respond to the open letter with a public statement defending its schedule, saying they want to “ensure accuracy in the current public discussion” and “set the record straight regarding our longstanding August dates and the planning behind the 2026 Grand Chess Tour.”
To ensure accuracy in the current public discussion about the 2026 Sinquefield Cup and Esports World Cup scheduling conflict, we are setting the record straight regarding our longstanding August dates and the planning behind the 2026 Grand Chess Tour.
Since its inception in 2015,… pic.twitter.com/dSn65TeqYI
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) February 11, 2026
The Esports World Cup has not issued a public statement on the matter.
Independent organizers are facing increasing challenges of coordinating dates across a rapidly expanding professional chess calendar, and the August conflict is not the only hurdle on the horizon.
The U.S. Chess Championship (October 10-24), in Saint Louis, is currently set to overlap with the new Total Chess World Championship (October 3-15), possibly forcing some of the players to choose events again.