Chess grandmaster Nepomniachtchi joins Aurora ahead of CCT, EWC tournaments

Nepo will pull on the blue and white for Aurora at several upcoming tournaments.

The renowned Russian chess grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, has recently joined forces with the esports group, Aurora Gaming. This partnership comes ahead of the anticipated appearance of the world’s most esteemed board game at various prominent events slated for the year 2025.

Ian Nepomniachtchi joins forces with Aurora Gaming, a Russian esports company that fields teams in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Apex Legends, among others. This year, he will be representing Aurora Gaming at the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) and the Esports World Cup.

Nepomniachtchi joins Aurora as chess prepares for massive EWC debut

Aurora revealed their new recruit in the esports sphere, Nepo, who turns 35 this year, on February 19th. Known for his versatility within the gaming world, Nepo is recognized for his involvement with Dota 2, where he has gained fame as both a player and commentator. In addition, he often broadcasts Dota matches on his Twitch stream.

Following his performance at the EWC, Nepomniachtchi expressed optimism that chess could soon be recognized as a legitimate esport. He also shared his hope that the innovative presentation would draw in a fresh fan base when he joined Aurora’s chess division.

For quite some time now, I have been passionate about video games and keep up with eSports. I’m thrilled to announce that I am now part of the Aurora Gaming team; they are a renowned and forward-thinking organization.

This week, Nepomniachtchi is among the well-known chess players who have recently affiliated with eSports organizations. Notably, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen has partnered with Team Liquid, joining Italian-American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana within the same organization. Additionally, Ukrainian esports team Natus Vincere has signed on Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk on February 15th.

On February 18th, Team Falcons recruited Hikaru Nakamura, whereas earlier, the siblings Alexandra and Andrea Botez had joined forces with Team Envy and OpTic Gaming respectively.

Esports teams are rushing to recruit top-tier players before the EWC 2025, where chess will make its debut alongside conventional esports. This move aims to expand the game’s reach by appealing to a younger demographic, as stated by EWC CEO Ralf Reichert. “Introducing chess, the ancestor of all strategy games, into the Esports World Cup is an incredibly thrilling occasion,” he expressed.

Significantly, victorious teams will aid in boosting their organization’s overall score in the pursuit of the EWC Club Championship, a title previously held by Team Falcons and valued at more than 7 million US dollars.

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2025-02-18 18:11