Overview

• FIDE has confirmed that India will host the 2025 Chess World Cup from October 30 to November 27 with 206 players competing.
• This will be the first time India has organized the World Cup since 2002, when Viswanathan Anand won the title in Hyderabad.
• The tournament uses a single-elimination format introduced in 2021, with each round spanning three days of classical games and tie-breaks if needed.
• Top seeds benefit from byes in the opening round, while players seeded 51 to 206 face off under a top-half versus reversed lower-half pairing system.
• The three highest finishers will earn direct qualification to the 2026 Candidates Tournament, and FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky highlighted India’s deep chess passion as a driving factor.