New Delhi: Goa is set to witness an elite battle of minds as the FIDE World Cup 2025 gets underway with a 206-player field and a prize purse of $2 million. India’s finest GM Gukesh Dommaraju, GM Arjun Erigaisi, and GM R Praggnanandhaa have been handed the top three seedings, marking the nation’s growing dominance in world chess. Notably, every tenth participant in the event is an Indian, highlighting the country’s expanding pool of talent.
Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri is the highest-ranked foreign contender, seeded fourth, while two-time former champion Levon Aronian of the United States enters as the 15th seed. Defending champion Magnus Carlsen and 2021 winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda have opted out, leaving the title wide open.
The tournament follows a single-elimination knockout format, with each round featuring two classical games and, if required, rapid tiebreakers and an Armageddon decider. Alongside the top prize of $120,000, the top three finishers will earn coveted qualification spots for the Candidates 2026 — the tournament that determines the challenger for the next World Championship.
Among the confirmed Candidates, Anish Giri and Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum have already secured their places through the FIDE Swiss Tour. If either finishes in the top three here, the qualification slot will pass to the next highest finisher.
India’s chess legend Viswanathan Anand won the first two World Cups in 2000 and 2002, held in Shenyang and Hyderabad, when the event followed a mixed round-robin and knockout system. Since 2005, the tournament has adopted its current straight-elimination format, with 206 participants since 2021 and the top 50 receiving first-round byes.
Third seed Praggnanandhaa, a finalist in 2023, will begin against Slovakia’s Jan Subelj in round two, with Raunak Sadhwani likely awaiting in the next round. Gukesh faces Kazakhstan’s Kazybek Nogerbek, while Arjun may meet Krikor Mekhitarian of Brazil.
India’s other strong contenders include Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin, and Karthikeyan Murali. FIDE Women’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, the only woman in the field, has a wildcard entry and will open against Greece’s Stamatis Kourkoulos Arditis.
Twelve-year-old Argentinian prodigy Faustino Oro will be the youngest player, while 65-year-old Igor Efimov of Monaco will be the oldest. First-round losers will receive $3,500, with the champion earning $120,000, as Goa becomes the stage for one of the most exciting chapters in modern chess.
