R Praggnanandhaa is among a group of leading chess players who have spoken out against scheduling conflicts involving two major events that are set to take place later this year. Besides ‘Pragg’, world No 3 Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are the other chess stars who have put their names in an open letter addressed to the Grand Chess Tour and the organisers of the Esports World Cup.

The Last Chance Qualifier for the Esports World Cup – in which chess makes its second appearance – takes place from 6 to 8 August with the main event then taking place from the 11th to the 15th.

The 11th season of the Grand Chess Tour, which gets underway in May in Poland, has events scheduled around the same time, with the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz taking place from 2-6 August and the Sinquefield Cup from the 10th to the 20th of that month.

‘Discussions have since stalled completely’

In the open letter addressed to the organisers, Caruana, Praggnanandhaa and the other players made it clear that a solution to the issue was a “clear and immediate priority” for them. The letter added that the issue had been flagged earlier, but changes to the schedule were yet to be made.

“Resolving the situation is now the players’ clear and immediate priority. Players and teams raised this issue with both organizers earlier and received replies, but no scheduling adjustment followed,” read the letter.

“Discussions have since stalled completely, leaving players with no visibility. With qualification paths already underway, the conflict is becoming concrete,” it added.

Here’s the full letter, shared by French Grandmaster Vachier-Lagrave:

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