One of India’s leading e-sports clubs, S8UL on Monday announced the signing of Indian Chess Grandmaster Pranesh M and confirmed its athlete roster across 12 titles for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Riyadh from July 6 to August 23. Pranesh joins Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram, further strengthening the lineup. Chess made its debut in the EWC last year and makes its return for the upcoming tournament where players will compete for a $1.5 million (Rs 14 crore) prize pool from August 11 to 15. With the defending champion automatically qualified, along with two players from the Speed Chess Championship 2025 and one from Chess.com Open 2026, four spots have already been secured. Nine players will qualify through the Champions Chess Tour standings, where S8UL’s Nihal currently ranks seventh and Pranesh fifteenth, making them the two highest-ranked Indians in contention.…