Goa, October 31: The picturesque coastal state of Goa is set to become the center of the chess world as the FIDE World Cup 2025 kicks off on Saturday, bringing together an elite field of 206 players from 80 countries — including a record 24 Indian participants.
Leading the charge for India will be World Champion D. Gukesh, who headlines a formidable home contingent in an event that returns to Indian soil after 23 years. The tournament, offering a USD 2 million prize pool and three spots for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, promises to deliver four weeks of intense and high-quality chess.
The World Cup will follow a single-elimination format across eight rounds. Each match consists of two classical games, with rapid, blitz, and, if needed, Armageddon tie-breaks determining the winner in case of a deadlock. The top 50 seeds receive byes into the second round, while the remaining 156 players battle in the opening stage to join them in a 128-player field.
India’s New Golden Generation
India’s rise as a global chess powerhouse will be on full display in Goa. The country now boasts more than 85 Grandmasters, nearly eight times more than it had when it last hosted the World Cup in Hyderabad in 2002.
Besides Gukesh, the spotlight will shine on R. Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, who have been seeded second and third respectively. For Gukesh, the event offers an opportunity to play without the pressure of qualification, as he is already assured a place in the next World Championship match. Praggnanandhaa is also well-positioned to secure his Candidates berth, while Arjun will aim to book his spot and set up a potential all-Indian title clash in the next championship cycle.
Veterans Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna, along with rising stars Nihal Sarin, Aravindh Chithambaram, and Karthikeyan Murali, add further depth to the Indian challenge.
Among the Indian women, Divya Deshmukh, the reigning Women’s World Cup champion, will be the only female participant in the open section after receiving a wild card entry. The 19-year-old from Nagpur opens her campaign against Greece’s Stamatis Kourkoulos Arditis, with a possible second-round meeting against compatriot Nihal Sarin.
Global Giants in Action
Though the event will miss the world’s top three ranked players — Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana — the field remains immensely strong.
Dutch star Anish Giri, seeded fourth, headlines the international challenge, joined by Germany’s Vincent Keymer, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and the USA’s Levon Aronian, a two-time former champion and the only past winner in action this year.
Argentinian prodigy Faustino Oro, who turned 12 just two weeks ago, will be the youngest participant, while 65-year-old Igor Efimov of Monaco will be the oldest — underlining the remarkable generational diversity of the event.
The Road to the Candidates
The World Cup serves as a gateway to the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which will determine Gukesh’s challenger for the next World Championship match. Should already-qualified players such as Gukesh or Giri finish in the top three, the qualification spots will pass to the next highest finishers in the standings.
As the world’s brightest minds gather in Goa, the tournament also represents a celebration of India’s transformation into a chess superpower — from Viswanathan Anand’s pioneering triumphs to a new generation of prodigies dominating the global stage.
With its blend of experience, youth, and home advantage, India stands poised for another defining chapter in its chess renaissance when the first pawns are pushed on Saturday.
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