FIDE Grand Swiss Chess 2025 LIVE Updates, Round 1: Focus on Divya Deshmukh in Open section; Gukesh, Pragg, Arjun in action

The tournament holds significant stakes, as the top two finishers in both the Open and Women’s sections will earn a place in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which decides the challenger for the World Champion title.

This was the exact path that enabled Vidit Gujrathi and Vaishali Rameshbabu to secure their spots for the 2024 Candidates’ Tournaments in Toronto.

FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: Indians in action in open & women’s section, format, schedule, pairings, prize money – All you need to know

While the event will be without several top players, including former world champions Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren, and Vishy Anand, alongside world number two Hikaru Nakamura and number three Fabiano Caruana, it will still feature a host of exciting talents. Among the notable participants are World Champion D. Gukesh, India’s top-ranked player R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and former World Rapid Champion and local favorite Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

FIDE Grand Swiss Chess: After Women’s World Cup triumph, Divya Deshmukh to test herself in the open section

Divya Deshmukh in action against Tan Zhongyi during FIDE World Cup semifinal. (FIDE/Anna Shtourman)

Of the 115 players fate could have handpicked to play Divya Deshmukh in the first round of the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament, she drew arguably the one she would have least like to face in Samarkand – Abhimanyu Puranik, a man who helped her become the FIDE Women’s World Cup champion two months ago.

The field in Uzbekistan includes Indian chess’ golden generation of world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi, who won the last edition of the tournament in 2023. There is also a strong veteran contingent featuring Ian Nepomniachtchi, Levon Aronian, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hans Moke Niemann and Anish Giri.

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