India to host FIDE Chess World Cup after 23 years
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Mumbai: Goa will host the FIDE World Cup from October 30 to November 27, a tournament offering three coveted berths for next year's Candidates and a prize purse of USD 2 million, PTI reported.
The tournament returns to India after 23 years, the last being in Hyderabad in 2002, when Anand lifted the trophy.
The 206-member field features world champion D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and R Praggnanandhaa among others.
However, the reigning world champion, Gukesh, is not part of the Candidates qualification race, so it remains to be seen whether he competes for prize money and rating points.
Hosts India have 21 players in the entry list, including reigning five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who has made the cut via the June 2025 FIDE rating list.
However, given that Anand has not played classical chess for a while, his participation remains uncertain.
Indian chess has grown manifold since then, as the hosts will have a far stronger base this time, with the likes of Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and Nihal Sarin featuring in the list of qualified players.
The tournament will be played in a two-game knockout format over eight rounds. There will be two classical games with rapid and blitz playoffs if tied.
The top-50 seeds will enter from round two as they will receive byes in the first, while the players ranked from 51 to 206 will compete on pairings based on the principle of the top half against the bottom.
“Every round is win-or-go-home, making the World Cup one of the most dramatic tournaments on the calendar,” FIDE said on its website on Tuesday.
FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich said, “India has become one of the strongest chess nations, with outstanding players and passionate fans. After the success of the FIDE Women's World Cup held in Georgia earlier this year, we are proud to bring the FIDE World Cup to Goa.”
“It will be a celebration of chess, and a unique experience for players and spectators from around the world. The representatives of 90+ countries are expected to take part, and it will be one of the most followed events in chess history,” he added.
