Overview
- A Panjim ceremony unveiled the renamed rolling trophy honoring Viswanathan Anand, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the event open via a letter read by AICF president Nitin Narang.
- The eight-round knockout features about 206 players from roughly 80 countries, a $2 million prize pool, and three qualification spots for the 2026 Candidates Tournament through Nov. 26.
- Top 50 seeds, including D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa, received byes into Round 2, and a record 24 Indians are entered.
- Divya Deshmukh conducted the color draw, assigning Black to all odd-numbered players for Round 1 at Resort Rio in Arpora, with games starting at 3:00 pm IST.
- Live coverage streams on FIDE’s YouTube channel with no Indian TV telecast, and the field proceeds without Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, or Fabiano Caruana.