With the FIDE World Cup starting from October 31 in Goa, the official anthem and the logo was unveiled by chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Tuesday. The anthem titled ‘It’s Your Move’ has been sung by Daler Mehndi and showcases the best of India’s next gen chess players, featuring world champion Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Koneru Humpy, Tania Sachdev and Vidit Gujarati.
The World Cup set to be held from October 31 to November 27, is set to feature feature 206 players from 82 countries. The World Cup winner will not only take home the championship title but also secure one of three coveted spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, the penultimate stage leading to the World Chess Championship.
Apart from the players mentioned above, Praggnanandhaa R, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Vincent Keymer, Hans Niemann, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Richard Rapport, Vidit Gujrathi, Nihal Sarin and many more will also take part in the tournament, according to the organizers. Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh will join the Open Section via a wildcard entry, following a last-minute withdrawal by another participant, they added as per PTI.
The tournament will also feature the 12-year-old Argentinian prodigy, Faustino Oro, also called the “Messi of Chess” his participation will be historic as the youngest player of the 2025 edition.
Sawant unveiled the logo and anthem for the international chess event in the presence of state Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, All India Chess Federation President Nitin Narang, secretary Dev Patel and Goa’s Chief Secretary V Candavelou.
What is the format of the World Cup?
The FIDE World Cup 2025 will feature 206 players competing in a head-to-head, two-game knockout format over eight rounds. Each round spans three days: two classical games (between two players) on the first two days, followed by tie-breaks on the third day, if necessary.
In the first round, the top 50 players receive byes, while players seeded from 51 to 206 compete, with pairings based on the principle of the top half versus the reversed lower half.
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The FIDE World Cup is the event that offers the top three finishers direct qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship.
(With agency inputs)
