Chess World Cup 2025 to take place in Delhi: Reports

The FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 is set to take place in Delhi from October 31 to November 27, according to Hindustan Times. The upcoming Chess World Cup in India will mark the return of the competition to the country after 23 years.

India previously hosted the FIDE Chess World Cup in Hyderabad in 2002. Five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand won the tournament. The Chess Olympiad 2022 was held in Chennai as the latest mega Chess event hosted in India.

The upcoming edition of the Chess World Cup is expected to witness over 200 players compete in a knockout format. The biannual event is among the biggest tournaments in chess.

New Delhi was chosen as the venue over other locations as there are direct flights available to the city from across the globe, making it easily accessible for the players and other officials.

"Direct flights from most global locations was one of the factors why Delhi made for a perfect choice," an official was quoted as saying to Hindustan Times.

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What happened during the Chess World Cup 2023?

The Chess World Cup 2023 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from July 30 to August 24, with 206 participants competing in the knockout tournament. Top-seeded Magnus Carlsen won the tournament, defeating India's R Praggnanandhaa 2 1/2 - 1 1/2 in the final.

R Praggnanandhaa had to settle for a silver medal, but his brilliant run in the tournament earned him a spot in the Candidates 2024. Meanwhile, third seed Fabiano Caruana defeated Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov 3-1 in the third-place match to clinch the silver medal.

Indian players Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and D Gukesh crashed out in the quarterfinals. Arjun suffered a close-fought loss against Praggnanandhaa, while Vidit and Gukesh lost to Nijat Abasov and eventual champion Magnus Carlsen, respectively.