FIDE World Cup 2025: D Gukesh Ready To Lead Indian Contingent In Goa

World Chess Champion D Gukesh is ready to make his mark once again, this time on home soil. As the FIDE World Cup 2025 returns to India after 23 long years, the 19-year-old prodigy will headline the prestigious event in Goa.

The World Cup, scheduled from October 31 to November 27, 2025, will take place at a luxury resort in North Goa and feature a prize pool of USD 2 million. Over 200 players from 82 countries will battle it out in a grueling knockout format, with the top three finishers earning spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, the next major step toward the World Chess Championship crown.

Indians will once again be the favourites to dominate in the tournament. Earlier this year, Divya Deshmukh had won the women's FIDE World Cup in an all-Indian final after defeating veteran Koneru Humpy.

D Gukesh’s Return to Goa

Reflecting on the event, D Gukesh expressed his excitement about playing in familiar territory. “I am really excited about the World Cup. Playing anywhere in India is great and I have some great memories of Goa. I have played some junior events there. So, looking forward to being there,” said the Chennai-based grandmaster, who enters the event as the top seed.

Back in 2019, a 13-year-old Gukesh finished 10th in the Category ‘A’ Goa International Open Grandmasters Tournament, an early glimpse of the potential that would later carry him to world champion status. Six years later, he returns to the same coastal state as the reigning world champion. This time, he will skip the opening round due to a bye and is expected to face Kazybek Nogerbek of Kazakhstan in Round 2.

Global Stars Join the Chase for World Cup Glory

Adding more star power to the event is Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, who enters as the highest-ranked foreign player. Though Giri has already booked his place in the 2026 Candidates, he’s still relishing the challenge. “The World Cup it’s a great event and I am going to play it regardless. It's fun to play it,” said Giri, who also reflected on his past experiences: “It’s a very tricky qualification path, whichever is the format... Once I got very close to qualifying through the World Cup. I lost the semi-final to Peter Svidler (in 2015).”

Since adopting the knockout format in 2005, the FIDE World Cup has produced some of the most thrilling battles in modern chess. Only Viswanathan Anand and Levon Aronian have managed to win the title twice, underlining the prestige and difficulty of the competition.

With PTI Inputs...