Overview
- Play runs November 1–26 at Resort Rio in Goa, with coverage describing a field of 206 players from 80 countries, though some reports cite 208 entrants.
- The event is an eight-round knockout with two classical games per match and rapid/blitz tiebreaks on a third day, offering three 2026 Candidates spots and a $2 million purse.
- Top 50 seeds receive byes to Round 2, including world champion D Gukesh, with fellow Indian headliners Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa among the favorites as Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana skip the event.
- At the opening ceremony, organisers unveiled the Viswanathan Anand Cup trophy; Divya Deshmukh conducted the draw, setting all odd-numbered players to start Round 1 with the black pieces.
- Matches will stream live on FIDE’s YouTube, Chess.com and ChessBase platforms, with outlets noting there is no planned television broadcast in India.