The prestigious tournament, featuring 24 Indian players, kicks off on October 31, with berths for the 2026 Candidates Tournament at stake. World Champion D Gukesh is the top seed, joined by rising stars Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa.
The FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 is set to electrify Goa from October 31 to November 27. Beyond the title, the event holds critical importance as the winner, runner-up, and third-place finisher will all secure valuable berths for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
Indian fans have much to anticipate, with a massive contingent of 24 Indian players set to compete. Leading the pack are the country’s chess prodigies, securing the top three seeds:
- D Gukesh (Seed 1): The reigning World Champion will spearhead the Indian challenge.
- Arjun Erigaisi (Seed 2): Another formidable young Grandmaster.
- R Praggnanandhaa (Seed 3): The Chennai star who has already made waves internationally.
Format and Schedule Highlights
The tournament will follow an eight-round knockout format. Key structural details include:
- Byes: The top 50 seeds will receive a bye in the second round.
- Third Place: The losers of the two semifinals will play a match to determine the third-place finisher.
- Time Control: Each round will consist of two days of classical time limit chess, followed by tie-breaks on the third day if necessary.
The schedule is spread across nearly a month:
| Round Dates | Event |
| November 1 to 9 | Rounds 1 to 3 |
| November 10 | Rest Day |
| November 11 to 19 | Rounds 4 to 6 |
| November 20 | Rest Day |
| November 21 to 26 | Final Two Rounds (Semifinals/Finals) |
Full List of Indian Participants
In addition to the top seeds, the Indian squad boasts a mix of seasoned veterans and young talent. Notably, Divya Deshmukh is the sole Indian female participant, having received a Wild Card entry after her recent victory in the Women’s World Cup.
| Rank | Player Name | Seed |
| Top Seeds | D Gukesh | 1 |
| Arjun Erigaisi | 2 | |
| R Praggnanandhaa | 3 | |
| Other GMs | Vidit Gujrathi | 19 |
| Aravindh Chithambaram | 20 | |
| Nihal Sarin | 22 | |
| Pentala Harikrishna | 24 | |
| Karthikeyan Murali | 38 | |
| Pranav V | 60 | |
| Sadhwani Raunak | 62 | |
| Pranesh M | 70 | |
| Mendonca Leon Luke | 78 | |
| Narayanan SL | 81 | |
| Iniyan Pa | 92 | |
| Karthik Venkataraman | 109 | |
| Diptayan Ghosh | 117 | |
| Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 118 | |
| Raja Rithvik R | 129 | |
| Aronyak Ghosh | 143 | |
| Lalit Baby MR | 149 | |
| Wild Card | Divya Deshmukh | 150 |
| Other Players | Gusain Himal | 159 |
| Harshavardhan GB | 160 | |
| Neelash Saha | 163 |
The tournament will also feature international heavyweights like Anish Giri, Wesley So, Vincent Keymer, and Hans Niemann.