After a gap of 23 years, India is once again hosting one of the most prestigious global chess tournaments — the FIDE World Cup 2025. The much-awaited event begins Saturday in Goa, marking a historic moment for Indian chess, which has seen a meteoric rise since the last time the country hosted the competition.
In 2002, when the FIDE World Cup was last staged in India, the nation had barely a dozen Grandmasters. Today, that number has grown to over 85, reflecting India’s emergence as a global chess powerhouse.
India’s Powerhouse Line-Up
This year, the Indian contingent is one of the strongest ever. World Champion Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju leads the charge, supported by the country’s Olympiad-winning squad — a testament to India’s dominance on the international stage.
Joining Gukesh at the top of the seeding chart are GM Arjun Erigaisi (No. 2) and GM R Praggnanandhaa (No. 3), making it an all-Indian top three. Notably, every 10th player in the 206-player field will be an Indian — a record for the tournament.
Dutch GM Anish Giri, ranked fourth, will be the highest-seeded international player, while two-time former champion Levon Aronian of the USA, seeded 15th, will be the only past winner competing in this edition.
Reigning World Cup champion GM Magnus Carlsen and 2021 winner GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda have both opted out of the competition.
Format and Prize Pool
The FIDE World Cup 2025 carries a total prize purse of $2,000,000 and follows a single-elimination knockout format.
Each round will feature two classical games, followed by tie-breakers if needed. The tiebreaks include two rapid games, and if still undecided, a single-bidding Armageddon match will determine the winner.
Crucially, the tournament also offers three qualification spots for the Candidates Tournament 2026, which will decide the challenger for Gukesh’s World Championship title in the next cycle.
Since Anish Giri and Germany’s GM Matthias Bluebaum have already qualified for the Candidates through the FIDE Swiss Tour, their potential top-three finishes would pass the qualification spots to the next eligible players.
Historic Legacy and Format Evolution
The legendary Viswanathan Anand won the first two editions of the FIDE World Cup — held in Shenyang, China, and Hyderabad, India — when the event followed a round-robin-cum-knockout format.
Since 2005, however, the format has evolved into the single-round elimination system, with the number of participants expanded to 206 since 2021. The top 50 ranked players now receive a first-round bye.
Indian Match-Ups and Key Players to Watch
- GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (Seed 3) — A finalist in the 2023 edition, Praggnanandhaa will look to go one step further this time on home soil. He is likely to open against Jan Šubelj of Slovakia (Seed 126) in the second round and could face Raunak Sadhwani, another Indian prodigy, in the third.
- GM Gukesh Dommaraju (Seed 1) — The reigning World Champion may face Kazybek Nogerbek of Kazakhstan in the second round.
- GM Arjun Erigaisi (Seed 2) — Expected to meet Krikor Mekhitarian of Brazil in his first match of the tournament.
Other notable Indian Grandmasters in action include Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin, and Karthikeyan Murali, all of whom will begin their campaigns in the second round.
Divya Deshmukh: The Only Woman in the Field
FIDE Women’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, who received a wild card entry, will be the only female participant in the main event. The 18-year-old from Nagpur will face Greek GM Stamatis Kourkoulos Arditis in the first round. If she advances, she will meet compatriot Nihal Sarin in the next round — a match that promises high drama.
The Youngest and the Oldest Competitors
The tournament’s youngest player, Faustino Oro from Argentina, turned 12 just two weeks before the start. The prodigious International Master, already holding a Grandmaster norm, will take on Croatian GM Ante Brkic in the opening round. A deep run could potentially fast-track Oro’s journey toward earning his GM title.
On the other end of the age spectrum, 65-year-old Georgian-born GM Igor Efimov, now representing Monaco, will be the oldest competitor. Efimov, who qualified by winning the 2024 Small Nations Open Championships, faces 49-years-younger Turkish GM Ediz Gurel in a fascinating first-round matchup.
Prize Distribution
Every player eliminated in the first round will take home $3,500, while the tournament winner will receive a grand prize of $120,000.
With a mix of experience, youth, and record Indian participation, the FIDE World Cup 2025 promises to be a landmark chapter in global chess — and another potential triumph for Indian brilliance.