Indian Chess Stars to Dominate FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa

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)

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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.

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