Magnus Carlsen wins Esports World Cup chess title for second consecutive year

By  News On Air   Aug 16, 2026

In Chess, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen has won Esports World Cup title for the second year in a row, by defeating Belarusian Grandmaster Denis Lazavik 2-0 in Paris, France. Representing Team Liquid, the 35-year-old Norwegian remained completely undefeated throughout the entire tournament. 

Meanwhile, American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura secured third place after defeating Alireza Firouzja 4-1 in a chaotic bronze-medal match that was repeatedly disrupted by technical problems and internet disconnections. The championship layout followed a best-of-three sets format, where the first two sets featured four games each, and a final two-game set was reserved as a tiebreaker if needed.