Event finished
🏆 Magnus Carlsen
ASEAN E-Sports Chess Cup 2026 Champion
Overview
About the event
The ASEAN Plus Chess Esports Championship is a 22-player, spectator-first rapid event run under the WR Chess Model and the FIDE Laws of Chess. It is built to deliver a compact, broadcast-friendly show while still producing a complete, fair ranking of every player.
The 22 players are split into four groups — two of five and two of six — each a single round-robin. The top two from every group reach the Championship knockout — quarterfinals, semifinals, a final for gold and silver, and a bronze-medal match. The remaining places are decided in parallel through classification matches that rank every player down to 22nd.
All games are played at 10 minutes per player with no increment, so a game lasts at most 20 minutes. Every player is guaranteed at least four games; the eventual champion plays seven. Where a result is still tied after the tie-break criteria, a single Armageddon game decides it — White has 5 minutes, Black has 4, and a draw counts as a win for Black.
Outcome
Final results
Le Quang Liem 1½ 
Megaranto Susanto ½ 
Esipenko Andrey 2 
Amilal Munkhdalai 1 
Salem A.R. Saleh 0 
Martinez Alcantara Jose Eduardo 2 
Carlsen Magnus 2 
Tin Jingyao 0 Martinez Alcantara Jose Eduardo 0 Esipenko Andrey 2 Carlsen Magnus 2 Le Quang Liem 0 Carlsen Magnus 2 Esipenko Andrey 1 Group A
| Rank | Player | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 🏆 | Carlsen Magnus | 3 |
| 2 | Martinez Alcantara Jose Eduardo | 2 |
| 3 | Garcia Jan Emmanuel | 2 |
| 4 | Lim Zhuo Ren | 1 |
| 5 | Al Maamari Wafia Darwish | 0 |
Group B
| Rank | Player | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 🏆 | Salem A.R. Saleh | 2½ |
| 2 | Tin Jingyao | 2½ |
| 3 | Caruana Fabiano | 2 |
| 4 | Kananub Warot | 1 |
| 5 | Pitirotjirathon Jirapak | 0 |
Group C
| Rank | Player | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 🏆 | Le Quang Liem | 4 |
| 2 | Amilal Munkhdalai | 3 |
| 3 | Sai Han Thiha | 2 |
| 4 | Louwakul Phuwin | 2 |
| 5 | SENGPHACHAN BOUNTHENGNOY | 1 |
| 6 | de Araujo Helder | 0 |
Group D
| Rank | Player | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 🏆 | Megaranto Susanto | 3½ |
| 2 | Esipenko Andrey | 3 |
| 3 | Kosteniuk Alexandra | 2½ |
| 4 | Liukasemsarn Pakornnarong | 2 |
| 5 | Laohawirapap Prin | 1 |
| 6 | Badarudin Muhammad Ahsanuddien | 0 |
For viewers
Watch the replays
Venue & travel
The field
Players
Group A
GM Magnus Carlsen
Rating 2841
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
GM José Martínez Alcántara
Rating 2650
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
IM Garcia Jan Emmanuel
Rating 2429
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
FM Lim Zhuo Ren
Rating 2280
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
WIM Wafia Darwish Almaameri
Rating 2019
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Group B
GM Fabiano Caruana
Rating 2792
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
GM Salem A.R. Saleh
Rating 2640
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
GM Tin Jingyao
Rating 2589
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
FM Jirapak Pitirotjirathon
Rating 2187
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
CM Warot Kananub
Rating 2151
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Group C
GM Le Quang Liem
Rating 2731
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
IM Amilal Munkhdalai
Rating 2463
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
FM Sai Han Thiha
Rating 2099
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Helder de Araujo
Rating 1905
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Phuwin Louwakul
Rating 1571
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Sengphachan Bounthengnoy
Rating 1433
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Group D
GM Andrey Esipenko
Rating 2684
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk
Rating 2496
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
GM Megaranto Susanto
Rating 2478
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
IM Prin Laohawirapap
Rating 2398
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Pakornnarong Liukasemsarn
Rating 1845
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
Muhammad Ahsanudin bin Badaruddin
Rating TBA
ASEAN Plus E-Sports Cup
For players & arbiters
Format & regulations
- System
- 22-player championship: four groups (A & B of five, C & D of six) feeding a full classification from 1st to 22nd
- Rounds
- Group stage (round-robin) → Championship knockout (QF → SF → Final) · Plate, Group and Classification championships place every player
- Time controls
-
- Rapid: 10 minutes per player, no increment (max 20 minutes per game)
- Tiebreak
- Direct encounter · Sonneborn-Berger · greater number of wins · drawing of lots; Armageddon (White 5′, Black 4′, draw = Black wins) when a winner is still required
- Overall standings
-
- Complete final ranking 1–22 — the Championship knockout decides places 1–4; classification matches place the remaining players.
- 22 players: ASEAN nations plus invited guests
- Four groups (A–D); top 2 of each advance to the Championship knockout (8 players)
- Every participant plays a minimum of 4 games; the champion plays 7
- All players must comply with the Organizing Committee Fair Play Regulations
- Violations may forfeit titles, prizes, standings and future eligibility
- Chief Arbiter has authority over pairings (Berger system / approved FIDE software) and interpretation of the regulations
Programme
Schedule
All times local to Bangkok, Thailand.
- 09:15 First game
- 10:00 Opening Ceremony
- 12:00 Lunch Break
- 13:30 Quarterfinals
- 14:00 Semifinals
- 14:30 Third-Place Match & Grand Final
- 16:00 Closing Ceremony & Prize Presentation
- 16:30 Special Interview Session — Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana & WR Chess
- 17:30 Fan Signing Session
- 20:00 Official Dinner
For media
Press & media
