Carlsen, Nakamura, Firouzja, Abdusattorov Reach Esports World Cup Playoffs

Defending Champion GM Magnus Carlsen said he was “in no shape to play chess,” but he still beat GMs Andrey Esipenko and Hans Niemann 1.5-0.5 to reach Friday’s Playoffs of the $1.5 million 2026 Esports World Cup. He’s joined by GMs Hikaru Nakamura,…