<p>Patna: Esports has been added to the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) for the first time as a demonstration event featuring BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball, a development that industry experts believe will help establish it as a mainstream sport.</p>.<p>Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is scheduled to start in 2027.</p>.Khelo India Youth Games: PM Modi to virtually inaugurate, 6000 participants in 27 events.<p>Before its inclusion in KIYG 2025, hosts Bihar had organised the Bihar State Esports Open Championship and the Bihar Inter School and College Esports Championship over the past year.</p>.<p>States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland have also taken proactive steps to support and formalise grassroots esports programs.</p>.<p>Esports competitions will be beld at the Patliputra Sports Complex on May 6 and 7, featuring popular titles such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball on both mobile and console.</p>.<p>While BGMI remains the most popular esports title in India, Chess stands out as a particularly noteworthy addition to KIYG 2025.</p>.<p>Once considered a purely traditional sport, it 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.</p>.<p>"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," says Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.<p>"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."</p>
<p>Patna: Esports has been added to the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) for the first time as a demonstration event featuring BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball, a development that industry experts believe will help establish it as a mainstream sport.</p>.<p>Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is scheduled to start in 2027.</p>.Khelo India Youth Games: PM Modi to virtually inaugurate, 6000 participants in 27 events.<p>Before its inclusion in KIYG 2025, hosts Bihar had organised the Bihar State Esports Open Championship and the Bihar Inter School and College Esports Championship over the past year.</p>.<p>States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland have also taken proactive steps to support and formalise grassroots esports programs.</p>.<p>Esports competitions will be beld at the Patliputra Sports Complex on May 6 and 7, featuring popular titles such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball on both mobile and console.</p>.<p>While BGMI remains the most popular esports title in India, Chess stands out as a particularly noteworthy addition to KIYG 2025.</p>.<p>Once considered a purely traditional sport, it 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.</p>.<p>"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," says Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.<p>"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."</p>