NEW DELHI: Goa will host the FIDE World Cup from October 30 to November 27, providing three coveted spots for subsequent 12 months’s Candidates Event and a prize pool of USD 2 million. The 206-player discipline options reigning world champion D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and R Praggnanandhaa. Since Gukesh is already world champion, he’s not a part of the Candidates qualification race, and his participation will seemingly be restricted to prize cash and score factors.India could have a robust presence with 21 gamers on the entry record, together with five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who certified by way of the June 2025 FIDE score record. Nonetheless, given his absence from classical chess lately, his participation is unsure.The World Cup returns to India after 23 years, final held in Hyderabad in 2002, the place Anand lifted the trophy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed its return, saying: “India is delighted to be internet hosting the distinguished FIDE World Cup 2025 and that too after over twenty years. Chess is gaining recognition amongst our youth. I’m certain this match will witness thrilling matches and showcase the brilliance of high gamers from around the globe.”Indian chess has grown considerably since then, with the hosts now fielding a a lot stronger base, led by the likes of Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and Nihal Sarin.The match will observe a two-game knockout format over eight rounds. Every spherical could have two classical video games, with fast and blitz playoffs in case of a tie. The highest-50 seeds will obtain byes into the second spherical, whereas gamers ranked 51 to 206 will contest the opening spherical on the idea of top-half versus bottom-half pairings.“Each spherical is win-or-go-home, making the World Cup some of the dramatic tournaments on the calendar,” FIDE stated in an announcement.FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich added: “India has turn out to be one of many strongest chess nations, with excellent gamers and passionate followers. After the success of the FIDE Girls’s World Cup held in Georgia earlier this 12 months, we’re proud to deliver the FIDE World Cup to Goa. Will probably be a celebration of chess, and a novel expertise for gamers and spectators from around the globe. Representatives from over 90 international locations are anticipated to take part, making it some of the adopted occasions in chess historical past.”AICF president Nitin Narang stated: “The World Cup won’t solely encourage hundreds of thousands throughout the nation but additionally showcase India’s rising stature as a worldwide hub for chess.”