India to host Chess World Cup for first time in 23 years, dates revealed

India is set to host the Chess World Cup for the first time in 23 years. The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 30 to November 27 this year, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) confirmed today officially. A total of 206 players will take part in the mega event, which will be played in a knockout format, with a losing candidate being eliminated after each round.

https://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1947179025149182388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1947179025149182388%7Ctwgr%5E66cea9520451253115fe307dc209f1c518e71416%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com%2Fsports%2Fother%2Findia-to-host-chess-world-cup-for-first-time-in-23-years-dates-revealed-2025-07-21-999814

Format

A total of 206 players will feature in the World Cup, and eight rounds will take place, with two games being played in each round. The players will get 90 minutes for the 40 moves in the match and only 30 minutes after that for the rest of the game. Notably, the players will also get a 30-second increment per move depending on when they are making a move.

Several different formats have been tried at the mega event before but since 2021, it has followed a single-elimination format. Each round lasts for three days - two classical games on the first two days before tie-breaks take place on the third day, if needed. Interestingly, in the first round, top 50 players receive byes while the rest, seeded from 51 to 206, compete. Matches are contested based on the principle of the top half versus bottom half.

Candidates spots also up for grabs

The World Cup is also massive for the top players as the top three finishers of the mega event will earn direct qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. 

What are qualification paths?

There are different qualification pathways for the World Cup as below:

1. Reigning World Champion as of June 1, 2025

2. Top four finishers from the FIDE World Cup 2023

3. Reigning Women's World Champion as of June 1, 2025

4. 2024 World Junior Champion U20

Moreover, the highest rated players in June 2025 FIDE standard rating list also qualify for the World Cup directly.

India - A Chess powerhouse

India last hosted the Chess World Cup back in 2002 in Hyderabad. The country, however, has recently hosted major events like FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022, Tata Steel Chess India, the FIDE World Junior U20 Championships 2024, and the 5th leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix (April 2025).

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky was excited while making the announcement and said, "We are thrilled to bring the FIDE World Cup 2025 to India, a country with a deep-rooted passion and support for chess. Indian chess fans’ enthusiasm has always been remarkable, and we anticipate great interest in the event among local chess lovers, both on-site and online. To enhance the experience, FIDE is committed to organizing numerous side events, featuring tournament participants and chess legends." Meanwhile, the host city for the World Cup is yet to be finalised and it will be confirmed in the due course.