Kings & queens of the board set to battle as Chess World Cup begins

Panaji: When India last hosted the Chess World Cup in 2002, Viswanathan Anand emerged as the champion. As the tournament returns home, this time in Goa, the trophy has been renamed as the Viswanathan Anand Cup, a fitting honour for someone who revolutionised the sport in the country.The FIDE World Cup will be held in Arpora from Nov 1-27, where 206 of the world’s best players battle in a dramatic knock-out format for a share of the prize money and one of the three coveted spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament. Grandmaster Leon Mendonca will be Goa’s lone representative at the World Cup. He has been drawn to play Chinese IM Wang Shixu B (China) in the opening round on Saturday.“As the chess World Cup returns to the home of chess, it feels like the game has come full circle,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his message to the participants, which was read out by All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Nitin Narang during the ceremony at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Bambolim, on Friday.

“India’s growing role as a host to major international sporting events continues and augurs well for both India and the world.

”The PM later declared the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 open.India is hosting the tournament for the first time in over two decades. When Anand triumphed in Hyderabad, Divya Deshmukh, 19, wasn’t even born. Now she’s a Women’s World Cup winner.Divya was handpicked to perform the draw of colours ceremony to pick the colours players will be starting off in round 1.

Since she picked black for number one player, D Gukesh, all odd number players will begin with black pieces in their matches on Saturday.Divya’s registration number is 150 and she will have white pieces to start with.“The World Cup can be a very exhaustive experience, but it feels amazing to be competing at the World Cup on home soil,” said Divya, the wildcard entrant and only female participant. “It’s a different feeling to be here.

There is an extra sense of pride and motivation.”The top 50 seeds have received byes into the second round, while the remaining 156 competitors begin their campaigns on Saturday afternoon in North Goa. Turkey’s GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus will be the highest ranked player in the opening round and will take on the lowest-ranked player in the tournament, candidate master Nagi Abugenda (Libya).“This moment is not just historic for Goa, or for India, it is a milestone for the entire world of chess,” Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said during the opening ceremony. “Hosting the World Cup after 23 years is a matter of immense honour. The last time India hosted the World Cup, we had less than 10 grandmasters. Today our grandmaster family has grown to 88 brilliant minds and counting.”