FIDE World Chess Cup 2025, rapid and blitz tiebreaks round 1
The FIDE World Chess Cup 2025 is going to take place October 30 – November 27 in India. It will feature 206 players in 8 knockout rounds of classical games. The World Cup serves as a critical part of the FIDE World Championship cycle, with the top three finishers qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which determines the next challenger for the World Chess Championship title. Live games and live video broadcast will be daily on Chessdom (make sure to check the main page for the latest coverage) , while additional live coverage will be available on Chessdom’s Twitter/X page
After the two classical games in Round 1 (November 1–2), 20 matches ended in a 1–1 tie and advanced to tiebreaks. These will be decided starting with two rapid games (15+10 time control), followed by additional rapid (10+10), blitz (5+3), and potentially an Armageddon game if needed. Results are pending as of November 2, but here is the full list of matches requiring tiebreaks, based on official FIDE pairings and classical results. Players are listed with approximate FIDE ratings from October 2025.
| # | Player 1 | Player 2 | Classical Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Robert Hovhannisyan (ARM, 2633) | FM Kavin Mohan (MAS, 2346) | 1-1 | 287-point underdog Kavin held firm with two draws. |
| 2 | GM Daniil Yuffa (ESP, 2621) | IM Shiyam Thavandiran (CAN, 2402) | 1-1 | Thavandiran neutralized Yuffa’s prep in both games. |
| 3 | GM S.L. Narayanan (IND, 2617) | IM Steven Rojas Salas (PER, 2413) | 1-1 | Narayanan drew both; Rojas showed strong resistance. |
| 4 | GM Cristobal Henriquez Villagra (CHI, 2605) | IM Uurtsaikh Agibileg (MGL, 2448) | 1-1 | Uurtsaikh won Game 1, Henriquez equalized in Game 2. |
| 5 | GM Jorge Cori (PER, 2594) | IM Aldiyar Ansat (KAZ, 2470) | 1-1 | Clean draws; both played solidly. |
| 6 | GM Ahmed Adly (EGY, 2589) | GM Karen H. Grigoryan (ARM, 2481) | 1-1 | Seasoned Adly held off Grigoryan’s pressure. |
| 7 | GM Arturs Neiksans (LAT, 2585) | GM Alisher Suleymenov (KAZ, 2491) | 1-1 | Balanced theoretical battle in both games. |
| 8 | GM Tin Jingyao (SGP, 2583) | IM Jegor Lashkin (MDA, 2497) | 1-1 | Tight endgames; no decisive breakthroughs. |
| 9 | GM Max Warmerdam (NED, 2582) | GM M.R. Lalith Babu (IND, 2502) | 1-1 | Warmerdam drew both; Lalith Babu survived early pressure. |
| 10 | GM Ante Brkic (CRO, 2578) | IM Faustino Oro (ARG, 2509) | 1-1 | Two clean draws; Prodigy Oro continues to impress. |
| 11 | GM Mateusz Bartel (POL, 2575) | IM Aronyak Ghosh (IND, 2514) | 1-1 | Bartel won Game 1, Ghosh equalized in Game 2. |
| 12 | GM Luis Paulo Supi (BRA, 2575) | IM Sion Radamantys Galaviz Medina (MEX, 2515) | 1-1 | Solid draws; both players kept composure. |
| 13 | GM Baadur Jobava (GEO, 2573) | GM Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso (COL, 2518) | 1-1 | Jobava won Game 1, Cardoso struck back in Game 2. |
| 14 | GM Diptayan Ghosh (IND, 2573) | GM Peng Xiongjian (CHN, 2521) | 1-1 | Two hard-fought draws; no decisive edge. |
| 15 | GM Diego Flores (ARG, 2558) | GM Denis Makhnev (KAZ, 2525) | 1-1 | Makhnev won Game 1, Flores leveled in Game 2. |
| 16 | GM Kacper Piorun (POL, 2557) | GM Sergei Lobanov (FID, 2526) | 1-1 | Clean draws in a tactical duel. |
| 17 | GM Sebastian Bogner (SUI, 2555) | GM Titas Stremavicius (LTU, 2531) | 1-1 | Both games ended in balanced positions. |
| 18 | GM Emre Can (TUR, 2552) | IM Bojan Maksimovic (BIH, 2532) | 1-1 | Tight endgames; no breakthroughs. |
| 19 | GM Jan Subelj (SLO, 2545) | GM Temur Kuybokarov (AUS, 2535) | 1-1 | Solid play from both |
| 20 | GM Kazybek Nogerbek (KAZ, 2543) | GM Rithvik Raja R (IND, 2541) | 1-1 | Indian teen held higher-rated Kazakh with two draws. |
FIDE World Cup tiebreaks format
Tomorrow’s Round One Tiebreaks will feature a new and intriguing format. The 20 tied matches will begin with a two-game rapid mini-match at a time control of 15 minutes + 10 seconds increment per move, starting from move one. If the score remains tied, players will proceed to another two-game rapid match with a shorter time control of 10 minutes + 10 seconds increment.
Should the rapid stage fail to produce a winner, the match will move to blitz — first two games at 5 minutes + 3 seconds increment, followed, if necessary, by two games at 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment.
In the unlikely event that the match is still tied after all these stages, the Sudden Death (Armageddon) tiebreaker introduces a novel twist. White will receive 4 minutes + 2 seconds increment, while both players secretly submit a time bid, indicating how much time they are willing to play with as Black. The player who bids the lowest time wins the bid, takes the black pieces, and wins the match if the game ends in a draw.
Replay: FIDE World Cup video round 1
FIDE World Chess Cup 2025, rapid and blitz tiebreaks round 1 schedule
Note: all times are IST (local time)
Rapid 1 15:00 Hrs
Rapid 2 16:00 Hrs
Rapid 1 17:00 Hrs
Rapid 2 17:50 Hrs
Blitz 1 18:40 Hrs
Blitz 2 19:00 Hrs
Blitz 1 19:30 Hrs
Blitz 2 19:45 Hrs
SD Game 20:00 Hrs
FIDE World Cup press release – round 1, games 1 and 2
The first game of Round One of the FIDE World Cup began this afternoon at 3:00 PM local time in the Baga Resort Rio’s convention centre in Goa, India. The pristine venue hosted the opening clashes of what promises to be a thrilling month-long event, featuring 206 of the world’s top players battling for three coveted spots in the Candidates Tournament — the final step toward challenging for the World Championship title.
The round opened with the traditional ceremonial first move:
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich played 1.e4 on behalf of GM Jeffery Xiong (USA).
AICF President Nitin Narang mirrored the move for GM Pranav V (India).
According to tournament regulations, the top 50 seeds are automatically qualify for Round 2, meaning 78 games were contested today.
Move of the day
One of the first games to conclude in Round 1 featured the sensational Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, currently rated 2651 and rapidly ascending the world rankings. Born in 2011, the Turkish prodigy is, as of 2025, the youngest grandmaster in the world — and today, he once again demonstrated why.
Facing Candidate Master Nagi Abugenda (Libya, 1972), Erdogmus unleashed a brilliant attacking display in an Exchange French Defence. White, already behind in development and with his king stranded in the centre, was caught in the crossfire of a sharp tactical strike.
From this moment, Black’s attack erupted with the bold sacrifice 10…Nce5!, forking the queen and bishop. The young grandmaster spent only six minutes calculating the sequence.
“I thought this was going to be a long game and that I would win in the endgame,” said Erdogmus afterward. “But then he started to play very aggressively. I think he missed knight e5, and after that he’s just losing.”
After 11.dxe5 Nxe5 (another fork), 12.Qxd5 Be6! followed — a developing move that renewed the attack by targeting the overloaded queen. When White retreated with 13.Qe4, Erdogmus continued energetically with 13…f5!, and after 14.Qe3, he had already foreseen the decisive 14…Bd5!, simultaneously attacking the rook on h1 and threatening 15…Nf3+ winning the queen.
With no way to parry all the threats, Abugenda resigned a few moves later, conceding victory to the young Turkish star in impressive fashion.
On board two, GM Jeffery Xiong (USA, 2648) prevailed in a difficult endgame against CM Li Yiheng (Hong Kong, 1994). Despite the 650-point rating gap, the 12-year-old from Hong Kong played far above his rating, testing the American grandmaster’s technique at every turn.
In his post-game comments, Xiong praised his young opponent’s resilience and talent: “I wasn’t at all surprised because he is a very young player and, as someone who was already giving GMs a tough fight when I was thirteen years old, I knew going in that he was a prodigy and that I should take it very seriously.”
On board three, GM Maxim Rodshtein (Israel, 2647) took the lead in his two-game mini-match against CM Qin Oscar Shu Xuan (New Zealand) with a crisp victory as Black. Rodshtein seized the initiative early, gradually building pressure before launching a decisive kingside attack that left his opponent defenceless.
Meanwhile, on board five, England’s former world top-ten player GM Michael Adams (2646) showcased his renowned technical precision. In a queen endgame, Adams converted his outside passed pawn into a new queen, sealing a clinical victory in trademark style.
Rounding out the top results, GM Vladislav Artemiev (FIDE, 2637) also outplayed CM Heskiel Ndahangwapo of Namibia, trapping his opponent’s queen in the middlegame — a rare tactical motif at this level, and one that drew murmurs of admiration from spectators following the games online.
With so many fascinating games on display, it was impossible not to notice several dazzling moments of creativity. One game, in particular, stood out for its sheer precision and ingenuity.
In his encounter with IM Satbek Akhmedinov (Kazakhstan, 2372), GM Pranesh M. (India, 2630) found the only move to force victory in a razor-sharp position.
In the position, where 47.Bd4+ would have allowed 47…Qxd4, saving the game, and 47.Rf1 would have fallen to 47…Rxg2+!, Pranesh instead uncorked the spectacular 47.Qg7!!
Now the twin threats of 48.Bd4+ and 48.Rc6+ loomed, either of which would have decided the game instantly. Akhmedinov tried to resist with 47…Ra1+, but Pranesh calmly blocked with 48.Rf1+!, picking up the rook on a1 and forcing immediate resignation.
Outstanding stuff from the young Indian grandmaster.
The World Cup’s opening round once again reminded everyone of its trademark unpredictability, as several underdogs punched above their weight to produce surprises and memorable results.
The biggest upset of the day came when Chile’s top player, GM Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra (2605), fell with Black in a tricky rook + bishop vs bishop endgame against IM Agibileg Uurtsaikh (Mongolia, 2448).
A handful of grandmasters were unable to break through and had to settle for draws — likely saving their energy and preparation for Game 2. Among them:
FM Mohan Kavin (Malaysia, 2346), who held GM Robert Hovhannisyan (Armenia, 2633) to a solid draw.
IM Reja Neer Manon (Bangladesh, 2369), who split the point with GM Aryan Tari (Norway, 2631).
Another standout performance came from FM Daniel Barrish (South Africa, 2284), who pressed with Black throughout against Goa’s own GM Raunak Sadhwani (2641) before agreeing to a draw after 56 moves — a truly impressive result for the young South African.
Last but not least, the only female player in the field, recent Women’s World Cup champion GM Divya Deshmukh (India), was defeated by GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (Greece, 2583).
Divya showed ambition from the start, sacrificing a pawn in the opening to build attacking chances. However, the compensation never fully materialized. As the game steered into a complex double-rook endgame, time pressure took its toll — one misstep was all it took for the Greek grandmaster to seize control and convert the point. Divya will have another opportunity tomorrow to even the match.
Asked afterward about the unusual atmosphere created by dozens of cameras and spectators crowding the top boards, Kourkoulos-Arditis smiled:
“I’ve never played with so many cameras, and when I first approached my chair, there were a lot of people behind it taking pictures of my opponent. But OK, it’s all the same.”
On a final note, during the round, AICF President Nitin Narang, accompanied by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, presented the newly established “Viswanathan Anand Cup” to the legendary five-time World Champion.
“The FIDE World Cup winner’s running trophy stands as an emblem of the great strides of Indian chess and the remarkable achievements and legacy of Vishy the King,” said Narang during the presentation.
Anand expressed his delight at receiving the honor: “I’m obviously very proud to have a trophy in my name. Regarding predictions for the event — obviously, Vincent Keymer is skyrocketing, but I don’t know if that guarantees something here. It’s a special format and there are too many names.”
Reflecting on his personal connection to Goa, Anand added warmly: “All of us love Goa. I’ve been here multiple times for holidays, but actually forty-two years ago I became National Junior Champion in Panaji, not that far away — and U-15 champion as well. In those days, I stayed at my cousin’s house, although he doesn’t live there anymore.”
Game 2
With the gradual arrival of most of the top 50 seeds, the second game of round one commenced on time in the convention hall of the Baga Resort Rio in Goa. Among others, I spotted elite 2700+ GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Javokhir Sindarov, Vladimir Fedoseev, and Jorden van Foreest acclimatising to the new location. I also had the pleasure of having lunch with the 13th seed, Le Quang Liem from Vietnam.
Commentator Jan Gustafsson noted that players might need a bit more time to adapt: “Two days seem to be cutting it rather close if you arrive from a distant time zone.” Top Indian Olympiad player Vidit Gujrathi obviously doesn’t have this disadvantage, though he still enjoyed a relaxed stroll around the playing hall toward the end of the round.
More top players are expected to arrive throughout the day, with the rest of the field assembling at the venue tomorrow — eager to learn who they will face in the second round of the knockout. All of them, including World Champion Gukesh D., will join the action in round two.
The venue welcomed a very special guest to perform the ceremonial first move. Vishy Anand — former five-time World Champion and current FIDE Deputy President — opened the round by playing 1.c4 for Turkey’s Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus on board one. The move was met with 1…e5, played on behalf of his opponent, Abugenda Nagi of Libya, by Mr. Ali Fouzi, President of the Libyan Chess Federation.
Just fifteen minutes into the playing session, three players had already secured qualification to the second round. Amin Bassem, Étienne Bacrot, and Nikita Petrov were each awarded victories by forfeit after their opponents failed to appear for their two-game matches.
Barbadian International Master Orlando Husbands, however, arrived too late for the first game of his match but eventually made it to the venue and put his opponent — top German Grandmaster Frederik Svane (2640) — to the test. Though he ultimately lost and was eliminated, he fought valiantly and made his presence felt on the board.
Over the following hours, the hall was filled with deep concentration. As I moved among the tables in search of the most compelling encounters, the atmosphere was almost tangible — focus at 100%, and the tension of high stakes evident on every face.
The first decisive result was confirmed shortly after the midpoint of the round. American 15-year-old prodigy Andy Woodward scored the opening victory of the afternoon, defeating India’s Gusain Himal with a convincing 2–0 overall score.
Playing with the black pieces, Woodward had already seized the initiative. With his last move, 19…Ngf4, he attacked the pawn on g2. White needed to eliminate the knight immediately, but after just three minutes of reflection, Gusain blundered with 20.Kf1?, allowing 20…Nxg3+ 21.fxg3 Nh5!, creating the decisive threat of 22…Nxg3, which would win material.
The strength of the bishop on a7, dominating all the dark squares around White’s king, became apparent. Recognizing the hopelessness of his position, Gusain resigned soon after.
With this victory, Woodward advances to face a formidable opponent in round two — Austria’s Kirill Alekseenko (rated 2679).
As more results began to come in, attention turned to one of the most anticipated encounters of the day — the game featuring one of the youngest participants in the tournament, 14-year-old Argentinian prodigy IM Ilan Schnaider (rated 2401), against former European Champion Aleksandar Indjic, a strong Serbian Grandmaster rated 2635 — and, at 6’8″, arguably the tallest GM in the world!
Having lost the first game, Schnaider needed a victory to force a tiebreak. After the opening, he had exactly the kind of dynamic position he was hoping for.
The Serbian’s king on d7 was in serious trouble in this chaotic position, clearly favorable for White. Schnaider spent nearly fifteen minutes here, weighing his attacking options, before deciding on 17.Nf4, and ended up just slightly better. However, he missed a golden opportunity to press for the full point. Instead the move played, he could have launched a powerful assault with 17.Qa4+!
The key idea is after 17…c6 fails to 18.Be7! attacking the queen and preparing dangerous follow-ups such as Qa3–d6 or Re4. It’s likely that a player of Schnaider’s caliber examined this line but dismissed it due to the absence of an immediate tactical breakthrough.
Needing only a draw to advance, Indjic chose to simplify the earliest opportunity and calmly secured qualification after a draw in a double-rook endgame.
Yesterday’s biggest upset came when Chilean GM Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra unexpectedly lost on time in a theoretically drawn endgame against an opponent rated 150 points lower. Determined to make amends, he struck back today with an impressive attacking victory that forced a tiebreak.
Henríquez Villagra concluded the game in style with the precise and elegant 45.Re8+!. The point is simple yet beautiful: after 45…Qxe8, White delivers a classic “Dovetail Mate” with 46.Qd6#.
A clean and instructive finish — and a fitting way to erase the memory of yesterday’s disappointment.
Combination of the day
It’s always difficult to single out the best combination of the day — with so many great games unfolding simultaneously, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them all. Nevertheless, Spain’s number one, GM David Antón Guijarro, secured his 2–0 qualification to the next round with a brilliant queen sacrifice against Angolan IM David Silva.
Silva has just played 31.Rea1, threatening Ra7 and giving up his bishop on g5, in order to seize control of the seventh rank and threaten the f7-pawn. Antón thought for a few minutes before confidently accepting the challenge with 31…Bxg5. After 32.Ra7, he stunned the spectators by sacrificing his queen: 32…Qxa7! 33.Rxa7 Rf6!, attacking White’s queen and turning the tables completely.
After 34.Qd1 Rxf2, Silva resigned. A spectacular illustrative line might be 35.h3 Rxf1! 36.Bxf1 Be3+ 37.Kg2 Bxe4+, with a decisive attack. It’s clear that Antón had foreseen this entire sequence before giving up his queen — a testament to both courage and calculation.
Meanwhile, the recent Women’s World Cup winner — and the only female participant in the field — Indian GM Divya Deshmukh had to bid farewell to the event after losing her second game to GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis.
Needing a win and staying true to her dynamic style, Divya opted for an unbalanced position right from the opening. Her opponent, however, kept things under control, defended precisely, and later capitalized on Divya’s time trouble to convert in a rook ending.
As expected, most of the favourites advanced comfortably to the next round. However, twenty matches ended in 1–1 ties, meaning those players will return tomorrow for the tiebreaks — though one notable favourite will not return at all. Local GM Leon Luke Mendonca (rated 2620) was unexpectedly eliminated from the World Cup this afternoon by China’s IM Wang Shixu B (rated 2402), marking one of the biggest surprises of the opening round.
FIDE Press release: Written by IM Michael Rahal (Goa, India) , Photos: Michal Walusza and Eteri Kublashvili