Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi shared his thoughts on the technical at the first Play-in of the Chess.com Open 2026. Ian is upset that Russian GM Maxim Matlakov was unable to play in the final round, and criticizes the Proctor system, citing Dota 2 as an example.

Ian Nepomniachtchi

Ian Nepomniachtchi

Russia's No. 1

“I feel really bad for Matlakov. Maxim was having a great tournament, but in the last round against Abdusattorov, in a +10 position with 1.5 minutes on the clock, the Chess.com software suddenly decided to take a timeout. The internet was working, Proctor was resting. It lasted about one and a half minutes.

As a result, Maxim lost on time and didn’t make it to the tiebreak match for a spot in the final tournament.

Esports, you say? Well, in case of a disconnect in Dota, for example, they pause the game and give the player some time to return.

I hope that, for once, Chess.com will look into the situation. And — at the very least — draw conclusions regarding Proctor and official qualification tournaments. Because there are many Tuesdays, but there’s only one EWC.”

The Chess.com Open 2026 is a major qualifying pathway for the Esports World Cup 2026, running from March 14 to April 26. The top three finishers in the playoffs qualify for the EWC, and the total tournament prize pool is $250,000. On March 16 Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi won the first Play-In, Russian GM Maxim Matlakov took 12th place, and American GM Fabiano Caruana finished 7th.

Credit: Esports World Cup