The FIDE Chess World Cup returns to India after 23 years, featuring World Champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi; defending champion Magnus Carlsen opts out, as 24 Indians compete for a share of the $2 million prize and three Candidates 2026 spots.
The prestigious FIDE Chess World Cup is set to commence in Goa, India, running from October 31 to November 27. This biennial tournament, one of the most significant events on the global chess calendar, returns to India after a gap of 23 years, featuring a total of 206 players from 82 countries.
Headlining the tournament is reigning World Champion D Gukesh, who is the top seed. He leads a record-breaking 24-member Indian contingent, which also includes top talents like Arjun Erigaisi (Seed 2) and R. Praggnanandhaa (Seed 3). The total prize fund for the event is $2,000,000, with the winner pocketing $120,000.
Magnus Carlsen Skips the Event
Notably, the defending champion, Magnus Carlsen, will not be in action after deciding to skip the tournament.
High Stakes: The Candidates 2026 Qualification
The stakes at the FIDE World Cup are exceptionally high. The top three finishers will earn crucial berths in the Candidates Tournament 2026. This tournament is set to determine the official challenger who will face World Champion D Gukesh in the next World Championship match.
Tournament Format and Time Controls
The FIDE Chess World Cup follows an intense eight-round knockout format.
- Round Structure: Each match is a mini-match played over three days. The top 50 seeds receive a bye into the second round. The losing semi-finalists will play a separate match to determine the third-place finisher.
- Classical Time Control (Days 1 & 2): Each player receives 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by an extra 30 minutes for the remainder of the game, with a 30-second increment added per move, starting from move one.
- Tie-Breaks (Day 3): If the classical games are tied, rapid format tie-breaks will be played on the third day.
Event Details and Schedule
The tournament will be held at Resort Rio in North Goa. All matches are scheduled to begin at 3 PM IST.
| Round | Dates (Includes Tie-Breaks) |
| Round 1 | November 1-2 |
| Round 2 | November 4-6 |
| Round 3 | November 7-9 |
| Round 4 | November 11-13 |
| Round 5 | November 14-16 |
| Quarterfinals | November 17-19 |
| Semifinals | November 21-23 |
| Finals | November 24-26 |
The Record-Breaking Indian Contingent
A record number of 24 Indian players are participating, including wildcard entry Divya Deshmukh, the reigning Women’s World Cup champion and the only woman in the open category.
- D Gukesh (Seed 1)
- Arjun Erigaisi (Seed 2)
- R Praggnanandhaa (Seed 3)
- Vidit Gujrathi (Seed 19)
- Aravindh Chithambaram (Seed 20)
- Nihal Sarin (Seed 22)
- Pentala Harikrishna (Seed 24)
- Karthikeyan Murali (Seed 38)
- Pranav V (Seed 60)
- Sadhwani Raunak (Seed 62)
- Pranesh M (Seed 70)
- Mendonca Leon Luke (Seed 78)
- Narayanan SL (Seed 81)
- Iniyan Pa (Seed 92)
- Karthik Venkataraman (Seed 109)
- Diptayan Ghosh (Seed 117)
- Ganguly Surya Shekhar (Seed 118)
- Raja Rithvik R (Seed 129)
- Aronyak Ghosh (Seed 143)
- Lalit Baby MR (Seed 149)
- Divya Deshmukh (WILD CARD) (Seed 150)
- Gusain Himal (Seed 159)
- Harshavardhan GB (Seed 160)
- Neelash Saha (Seed 163)
Live Coverage Information
- Live Telecast: There will be no live telecast of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 in India.
- Live Streaming: The tournament can be watched via live streaming on FIDE’s official YouTube channel.