Patna, May 5 (IANS) For the first time in the history of the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), esports will be stepping into the spotlight as a demonstration event. Currently taking place in Bihar from May 4 to 14, KIYG 2025 will host its esports competitions from May 6 to 7 at the Patliputra Sports Complex, featuring popular titles such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball on both mobile and console.
While BGMI remains the most popular esports title in India, Chess stands out as a particularly noteworthy addition to KIYG 2025. Once considered a purely traditional sport, Chess has increasingly found a home in the esports world, most recently as part of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, which boasts a prize pool of USD 1.5 million (Rs 12.6 crore) for the title.
NODWIN Gaming, a leader in South Asia’s esports and gaming ecosystem, has been one of the pioneers of this shift in India. In 2021, the company organised the Chess Super League, featuring national and international stars and also hosted Chess tournaments at DreamHack India 2024 across rapid and blitz formats.
Featuring titles that span mobile, console, and strategy-based formats like chess, the esports lineup at KIYG 2025 reflects a deliberate effort to cater to diverse gaming audiences.
“The inclusion of titles like BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball in the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 signals a big step forward for grassroots esports in India. It’s encouraging to see esports standing shoulder to shoulder with traditional sports, and the addition of Chess – bridging classical and digital strategy shows how in tune this initiative is with global trends,” said Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming.
Further underscoring the growing stature of Indian Chess in esports, S8UL, a global force in esports and gaming content, has signed Grandmasters Aravindh Chithambaram and Nihal Sarin to compete at the EWC 2025.
In addition to Chess, S8UL will also field players in Street Fighter 6, as well as EAFC25, Call of Duty Warzone, Tekken 8, and Apex Legends at the prestigious tournament.
Animesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of S8UL, believes that the inclusion of titles like Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball console in KIYG 2025 reflects a thoughtful push to diversify beyond mobile gaming and build a more well-rounded competitive ecosystem.
Before its inclusion in KIYG 2025, the state of Bihar actively embraced the esports movement by organising the Bihar State Esports Open Championship and the Bihar Inter School and College Esports Championship over the past year. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland have also taken proactive steps to support and formalise grassroots esports programs.
With S8UL participating in Chess and Street Fighter at the EWC 2025, India has already been making waves on the international stage in eFootball, with Pavan Kampelli winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Asian Esports Games in Bangkok.
Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is scheduled to debut in 2027.
–IANS
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