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. While the games are scheduled to be held in Bihar from 4 to 14 May, the esports competitions took place on 6 and 7 May at the Patliputra Sports Complex, featuring 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 the tournament. 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 US$1.5 million (Rs 12.6 crore) for the title.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee said, “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. But this isn’t just about tournaments. It’s about creating real opportunities to discover talent from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, places that have been overlooked for too long, thus building the foundation for a future where Indian gamers don’t just participate, they dominate on the world stage.”
S8UL 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 tournament.
S8UL CEO and co-founder Animesh Agarwal commented, “It is especially encouraging to see Street Fighter 6 and Chess recognised through a government-led initiative, at a time when S8UL will be representing India in these very titles at the upcoming esports World Cup. This development is crucial for identifying and nurturing talent across a range of platforms and genres from the grassroots level. Such proactive support from the authorities is a strong indicator of the growing legitimacy of esports in India and a positive sign for the industry’s future.”
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.
Dirtcube Interactive co-founder and tech leader Mikhail Bhuta remarked, “Including esports in the Khelo India Youth Games is a practical step toward building a grassroots ecosystem for new-age sports. We believe that through this program, we’ll soon see national esports heroes rise from across the country and bolster India’s representation on the global stage. With this being the inaugural season, we envision having Made-in-India esports-based games be part of KIYG’s future seasons.”
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.
