Hosting the FIDE World Cup later this year will be a fitting feather in the cap for the latest superpower in chess. The world body of the game announced on Monday (July 21) that the 2025 edition will be held in India from October 30 to November 27. A total of 206 players including some top names will be in action in the biennial event played in a knockout format.
The venue is yet to be named. “Further details, including the announcement of the host city, will be released in due course,” said a FIDE statement. However, as per early indications, Delhi and Chennai appear to be the main contenders. The national capital has infrastructure and experience of hosting big events. The southern city is India’s chess capital. Ahmedabad may also be in the mix.
Formal communication on this is expected after discussions between FIDE, All India Chess Federation and of course the sports ministry and other government authorities. The international governing body of the game, which celebrated its foundation day yesterday (July 20), cited Viswanathan Anand, the chess boom and a few recent events held in India to explain the selection.
“India has also recently hosted major events, including the 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)… These accomplishments underscore India’s status as a global chess hub, making it a fitting venue for the FIDE World Cup 2025,” said the statement.
Of the events mentioned, the Olympiad took place in Chennai, the Tata Steel rapid and blitz in Kolkata multiple times, the world juniors in Gandhinagar and the women’s Grand Prix in Pune. Delhi hasn’t hosted a chess competition of this magnitude, but it has been staging an annual international event. Chennai was the venue for the World Championship clash in 2013. Ahmedabad can’t be ruled out, given that it’s the country’s choice for the 2036 Olympic bid.
The World Cup is a significant event for the current crop of Indian stars. Four players reaching the quarter-finals in 2023 and R Praggnanandhaa finishing runner-up behind Magnus Carlsen gave the world a first glimpse of the collective might of these youngsters. Reigning world champion D Gukesh had lost to Carlsen in the quarter-finals. The women’s event in underway in Georgia and it has two Indians in the semi-finals.