D Gukesh (Norwegian Chess via PTI Photo) World chess champion D Gukesh expects to return to Goa for the FIDE World Cup from Friday, where he had earlier competed in his early career.The prestigious FIDE World Championship returns to India after 23 years. The tournament will be held in the North Goa resort from October 31 to November 27, 2025 with a prize pool of USD 2 million.“I’m really excited about the World Cup. Playing anywhere in India is great and I have great memories of Goa. I’ve played a few junior events there. So I’m looking forward to going there,” said Gukesh, who enters as the top seed.
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The 19-year-old champion’s last appearance in Goa was in 2019, where he secured tenth place in the ‘A’ category of the Goa International Open Chess Tournament, surpassing his initial seeding position.Gukesh now returns to the coastal state as a world champion, with Goa recognized as one of India’s premier sports and tourism destinations.206 players from 82 countries will participate in the elimination tournament. The top three players qualify for the Candidates Tournament 2026. Gukesh, who had a bye in the first round, is expected to face Kazybek Nogerbek of Kazakhstan in the second round. Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, the highest-ranked foreign player, is up for the $120,000 winner’s prize.By winning the Grand Swiss, Giri has already secured his place in the Candidates 2026 competition, which determines Gukesh’s next World Championship challenger.“The World Cup is a great event and I will play it no matter what. It’s fun to play,” Giri said.“It’s a very difficult qualification path, whatever the format. I’ve played a lot of them (World Cup). I came very close to qualify for the World Cup once. I lost the semi-final to Peter Svidler (in 2015),” Giri added.The FIDE World Cup has maintained its knockout format since 2005. Only India’s Viswanathan Anand and Armenia’s Levon Aronian have achieved the title twice in the tournament’s history.
