Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 6. Juni 2025, 9:21 Uhr

FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: Lists of qualified players announced

 

 

The 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 3–16, 2025. This marks the first time the prestigious event will be held in Uzbekistan, a country with a rich chess heritage and a rapidly growing influence in the global chess community.

As one of the most significant events in the chess calendar, the FIDE Grand Swiss offers players a direct pathway to the Candidates Tournament. The top two finishers in the Grand Swiss will secure spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, while the top two players in the Women’s Grand Swiss will qualify for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament.

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In addition to its importance as a qualifier, the event will feature an increased prize fund. The Open prize fund has been boosted from $460,000 to $625,000—a 36% increase—while the Women’s prize fund sees an even larger jump, from $140,000 to $230,000, up 64%.

Both tournaments will follow an 11-round Swiss format, with 170 players participating from across the globe: 114 in the Grand Swiss and 56 in the Women’s Grand Swiss.

So far, 100 players have qualified for the 2025 Grand Swiss by rating, while the Women’s Grand Swiss has 44 qualifiers. Only players who played at least 30 rated games are eligible. The final lists of participants will be confirmed after Continent spots, players nominated by the FIDE President and players nominated by the Organiser are announced.

Qualified players – Open
https://grandswiss2025.fide.com/open-event-participants/   

Qualified players – Women
https://grandswiss2025.fide.com/women-event-participants/

Official website: grandswiss2025.fide.com/

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 6. Juni 2025, 9:23 Uhr

https://chessecosystem.com/2025/06/05/teilnehmer-grand-swiss-in-usbekistan/

Beim Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand (Usbekistan) sind mehrere deutsche Spielerinnen und Spieler am Start. Im Frauenturnier sind Elisabeth Pähtz und Dinara Wagner über ihre Elo-Zahl qualifiziert. In der offenen Klasse gehen Vincent Keymer, Frederik Svane, Matthias Blübaum, Dmitrij Kollars und Rasmus Svane an den Start. Dennis Wagner und Alexander Donchenko stehen auf der Warteliste.

Der Weltschachbund FIDE hat die vorqualifizierten Teilnehmenden beider Grand-Swiss-Turniere bekannt gegeben. Das Event findet vom 3. bis 16. September 2025 im Silk Road International Exhibition Center statt und dient der Qualifikation für die Kandidatenturniere 2026. Die beiden besten Spielerinnen und Spieler qualifizieren sich direkt. Insgesamt werden 855.000 US-Dollar Preisgeld ausgeschüttet.

Das Frauen-Grand-Swiss umfasst 56 Teilnehmerinnen, das offene Turnier 114 Spieler. Besonders auffällig: Magnus Carlsen und Hikaru Nakamura fehlen auf der Liste der Qualifizierten. Der Preisfonds im Frauenturnier wurde um 64 % auf 230.000 Dollar erhöht, im offenen Turnier um 36 %. Titelverteidiger sind die Inder Vaishali (Frauen) und Vidit Gujrathi (offen).

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 8. Juli 2025, 10:54 Uhr

Wagner und Donchenko sind drin. Bei den Frauen steht aus Deutschland einzig Dinara Wagner auf der Liste. Die FIDE teilt mit:

FIDE announces the list of players at the 2025 Grand Swiss

The new elite players dominate the list as young stars pack the field, vying for the top spots leading to the 2026 Candidates.

Scheduled to take place from September 3 to 16 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), the strongest-ever Swiss system tournament – the FIDE Grand Swiss – returns for the fourth edition, after previous events in the Isle of Man (2019 and 2023) and Riga (2021)

The Grand Swiss is one of the most significant tournaments in the chess calendar, also serving as a pathway to the Candidates tournament. The 11-round Swiss format tournament will see 172 players take part – 116 in the Open and 56 in the Women’s tournament. As per regulations, the top two qualifiers in both the Open and the Women’s competition will qualify for the 2026 Candidates tournament, where the challenger for the title of World Champion will be determined.

Apart from serving as the qualifier for the Candidates, the 2025 Grand Swiss also features a notable prize fund, which has been significantly increased from the last edition. The prize fund in the Open is $625,000 (increased from $460,000 in 2023) and in the Women’s competition features a $230,000 prize fund (up from $140,000 in 2023).

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The Open tournament

Among 116 players in the Open, 101 have qualified by rating, with the remaining spots allocated to Continental representatives, six FIDE wildcards and five are nominated from the local organiser.

Young Indians headline the list of the Open competition, with Arjun Erigaisi (21; pictured above) and World Champion Gukesh D (19) seeded as the top two, while Praggnanandhaa R (19) is ranked fourth, just behind Nodirbek Abdusattorov (20). Another star youngster, 22-year-old world number eight, Alireza Firouzja is ranked fifth.

The remainder of the top ten is made up of more seasoned Grandmasters – two-time world champion candidate Ian Nepomniachtchi, Anish Giri, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Levon Aronian and Vladimir Fedoseev.

Further bolstering the young presence at the event are Hans Niemann (22), Vincent Keymer (20), Javokhir Sindarov (19), Nihal Sarin (20) and Awonder Liang (22), who are all among the top 20.

Former candidate for the title of World Champion Boris Gelfand, as well as former Women’s World Championship challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina (pictured below) will also play in the Open, after receiving wildcard invitations.

The rule requiring 30+ classical rated games between July 2024 and June 2025 has excluded several high-profile names, including two former world champions – Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand, as well as heavyweights who participated in previous Grand Swiss tournaments – Le Quang Liem and Peter Svidler.

Although qualifying by rating, former World Champion Ding Liren will not be participating in the event. Fabiano Caruana – who played in all three previous Grand Swiss tournaments – will also not be taking part, having already secured a spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament by winning the 2024 FIDE Circuit.

The full list of participants of the Open Grand Swiss can be found here.

The Women’s tournament

In the Women’s Grand Swiss, 44 players have qualified by rating. Four additional players are joining them from Continental spots, four via FIDE wildcards, and another four as nominations from the local organiser.

Former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi (pictured above) is the top-rated participant in the Women’s Grand Swiss, followed by seasoned elite world players – Humpy Koneru, Anna Muzychuk and Kateryna Lagno. The 2023 winner, Vaishali Rameshbabu (24) is also taking part.

Lei Tingjie (who won the inaugural Women’s Grand Swiss, in 2021, in Riga), is also playing, after receiving a wildcard invite from FIDE.

The Women’s Grand Swiss will also see emerging talents take part, such as world junior champion and runner-up, Divya Deshmukh (19) and Lu Miaoyi (15) and Leya Garifullina (20).

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The full list of participants of the Women’s Grand Swiss can be found here:

Open: grandswiss2025.fide.com/open-event-participants/ 

Women: grandswiss2025.fide.com/women-event-participants/ 

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 10. Juli 2025, 8:06 Uhr

https://chessecosystem.com/2025/07/08/frauen-world-cup-in-batumi-gestartet-4/

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 22. August 2025, 14:58 Uhr

While the eyes of the chess world are usually on the favourites, a new generation of players is coming up through the ranks and they will be looking to shake things up at the Grand Swiss in Samarkand.

The fourth edition of the strongest ever Swiss System tournament in chess – the FIDE Grand Swiss – is set to take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan at the start of September. Many of the best players in the world will be there, competing in one of the most prestigious events on the chess calendar. Among them, a cohort of prodigious youngsters in their early teens, brought up to become chess champions and set new world records for the ancient game. While many of them are already widely known, some are yet to stand out on the global chess scene.

The lowering age of success bar in chess

In 1958, when Bobby Fischer became a Grandmaster at 15 years and six months—already the U.S. Champion at the time—it made headlines around the world. The New York Times reported that this made Fischer a member of the “most exclusive chess fraternity in the world”. As years went by, the age bar continued to go lower: Judit Polgar beat Fischer’s record by two months in 1991, also becoming the first woman to set the new record; then came Ruslan Ponomariov at 14 years and 17 days; Karjakin followed at 12 and seven months; and then in 2021 Abhimanyu Mishra set the current record at 12 years and four months. In nearly 50 years, the threshold has dropped from 15 to just 12.

But there are also other records set by youngsters. Turkiye’s Yagız Kaan Erdogmuş became the youngest-ever player to surpass a 2600 rating in 2024, before turning 13. And, of course, the crown of success – Gukesh D became the World Champion at the age of just 18, having previously become the youngest player ever (at the age of just 17) to cross the FIDE rating of 2750.

Most recently, Britain’s Bodhana Sivanandan (10) became the youngest girl ever to defeat a Grandmaster and achieve the WIM title. Also, in the United States, 10-year-old Keya Iha defeated a GM in the final round of the Joe Yun Memorial.

With the age of mastery and success dropping with every generation, chess is clearly becoming a young person’s game. Early starts, more family and state support, dedication and planning, as well as computers – are to credit for this trend.

The forthcoming Grand Swiss in Samarkand is the next battleground where the youthful energy will test and be tested by experience, and the clash of generations will bring new surprises to the chess world.

The rising stars to look out for in Samarkand

The Open

Volodar Murzin (2678) 

Born in 2006 in Nizhny Tagil, Murzin’s became a Grandmaster in 2022, just five years since becoming a FIDE Master. He caught global attention last December when he won the World Rapid Championship in New York with 10/13, defeating seasoned players such as Caruana, Nakamura and Duda. The 19-year-old is currently ranked 46^th in the world.

Raunak Sadhwani (2676) 

The Indian prodigy has for years been present at the top of the chess world that it’s easy to overlook the fact that he is just 19. The youngster from Nagpur in India became a GM at the age of 13. He won the Commonwealth Championship in the U-10 group in 2015 and was part of India’s bronze team at the 44^th Chess Olympiad. A confident and polite player, Sadhwani is a regular at world-class events, always lurking around the top.

Jonas Buhl Bjerre (2655) 

The 21-year-old Danish GM is gradually making his way to the top of the chess world. His greatest successes so far include winning the gold medal at the 2017 European Youth Chess Championships and finishing third at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 Challengers group. A versatile player, he has several strong tournaments under his belt and has played almost every top player in the world in recent years.

Ediz Gürel (2652) 

The second youngest Turkish GM (at just 14), Gurel has caught the attention of the chess world on several recent occasions. In 2024, he won the Challengers section of the Prague Chess Festival without a single loss, and his ELO has had a steady upward rise in recent years. With a rating of 2652 at just 16 years of age, Gürel is a player whose star is rapidly ascending.

Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş (2642) 

Even though he’s only 14, Erdoğmuş already has two spectacular records under his belt: in 2024 he became a GM at the age of 12 years and 10 months (the fourth youngest ever), while that same year he became the youngest player to cross the 2600 ELO mark. With appearances at several notable tournaments (Sitges, Grenke, TePe Sigeman) he is on a fast track to becoming one of the top players in the world. This July, he beat Peter Svidler 4–2 in the “Clash of Generations” match, a result that propelled him into the world’s Top 100, the second-youngest ever after Judit Polgar.

Abhimanyu Mishra (2610) 

Another record-setter, Mishra is the youngest person ever to become Grandmaster. He was awarded the title in 2021, at the age of 12 years, four months and 25 days. His previous record was to become the youngest International Master ever (10 years and nine months). Most recently, he finished in shared 2-3^rd place in the US Juniors Championship. Mishra is yet to achieve a grand success in a big international tournament, and he will be looking for a chance at the Grand Swiss in Samarkand.

Marc’Andria Maurizzi (2604) 

Another youngster, 18-year-old Maurizzi became the youngest French GM in 2021, at the age of 14. Two years before, in 2019, he won the French junior championship for players under 12 years old. The winner of the World Junior Chess Championships in 2023, he has recently played in many top international tournaments, including Tata Steel (in 2024, where he tied for second place) and the Djerba Masters in February this year, winning the event with a round to spare and an astonishing performance rating of 2898.

Pranav V (2597) 

The 18-year-old Indian is the reigning Junior World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy who has had many top world coaches, Pranav is especially dangerous in time trouble, given his stellar performance in shorter time controls. In the World Rapid Teams tournament this June in London, Pranav was one of the key players in the Indian squad of MGD1, helping them win first place. A fast-moving player, Pranav holds two gold medals in the U-18 section of the World Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships.

Aditya Mittal (2560) 

Not many Grandmasters can say they beat two of the most-established players of the younger generation (Keymer and Erigaisi) in one tournament, but Aditya Mittal achieved that in the 2022 Aimchess Rapid tournament of the Champions Chess Tour, at the age of 15. Another rising Indian chess star looking to make his mark, Mittal will likely be a serious challenge to the more experienced players in Samarkand.

Ihor Samunenkov (2548) 

For decades, Ukraine has produced many of the strongest world players and 16-year-old Ihor Samunenkov is the newest Ukrainian chess gift to the world. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster at the age of 14. In December 2021, Samunenkov won the U-12 World Youth Chess Championship tournament (where he defeated the world’s youngest grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra). This will be Samunenkov’s second appearance at the Grand Swiss. In the 2023 edition, he scored just one victory – against Michal Krasenkow in round six. With the experience of the previous Grand Swiss and even more training and tournaments recently, Samunenkov will definitely look to improve his score in his second appearance at the Grand Swiss.

Mukhiddin Madaminov (2560) 

The 18-year-old GM from Uzbekistan made headlines in 2023, when he checkmated the Indian GM Ganguly in just eight moves. While he hasn’t played that much in top-level international tournaments, wherever Madaminov appeared, he made his presence known – whether it was a 9/9 from the Titled Tuesday tournament in 2024, to sharing first place at the Master Tournament of the Biel Chess Festival 2024. In February this year, Madaminov won the Al-Beruniy Masters with 6½/9 and in June came in second in the UzChess Cup challengers with 6/9.

The Women’s tournament

The top rankings in the Women’s Grand Swiss include several established young players – Bibisara Assaubayeva (21; two-time Women’s World Blitz Champion from Kazakhstan), Polina Shuvalova (24-year-old with a long history of successful appearances at top women’s events), 24-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) as well as 21-year-old three-time US Women’s Champion, Carissa Yip. However, there are several other notable young players in their teens and early 20s who will be competing for the top placements in Samarkand.

Leya Garifullina (2477) 

The 20-year-old was a U-16 World Champion in 2019 and also tied for third in the 2020 Russian Women’s Championship. Garifullina holds an IM title and has a track record of successful appearances at prominent international women’s events.

Teodora Injac (2455) 

The year 2025 has so far been a great success for the Serbian player. Most notably, earlier this year Injac won the Women’s European Chess Championship. She has competed at the World Cup three times (2021, 2023 and 2025). In the most recent edition of the World Cup, she was eliminated in round three, losing to Divya Deshmukh, who would go on to win the tournament in spectacular fashion. A two-time Olympiad participant (2022 and 2024) and the reigning chess champion of Serbia, Injac will arrive in Samarkand looking to build on the wave of success that 2025 has already brought her.

Lu Miaoyi (2439) 

The second top-rated Chinese player in Samarkand will be the 15-year-old Lu Miaoyi. Born in 2006, she is a part of the Chinese chess talent wave. Currently, Lu is ranked as the second junior girl in the world (behind Divya Deshmukh). She is also the reigning Chinese women’s national champion.

Afruza Khamdamova (2409) 

The hope of Uzbekistan in the Grand Swiss, 18-year-old Afruza Khamdamova is one of the top young players in her country. She won the title of World Youth Champion twice in 2023 and 2024 (in the U-14 and U-16 respectively) and is the first woman from Uzbekistan to achieve this.

Nurgyul Salimova (2385) 

The 22-year-old has been an IM since 2019. A former gold and silver medallist at the Bulgarian Women’s and Open Chess Championship, she achieved her greatest success reaching the finals of the 2023 World Cup. This success qualified Salimova for the 2024 Candidates in Toronto, where she finished in seventh place out of eight.

Zsóka Gaál (2376) 

A Hungarian Woman Grandmaster born in 2007, Gaál earned her WGM title in November 2024. She was the 2016 European Youth Champion (U10 girls) and the 2021 online World Youth Champion (U14 girls).

Meruert Kamalidenova (2349) 

Part of the new Kazakh chess wave, Kamalidenova is one of the top women players from Kazakhstan with an impressive track record in international youth events. She won the Kazakhstan Youth Chess Championships several times, as well as the World Youth championship in 2019, for the U-14 age group. Her notable international appearances include the 2021 Grand Swiss and the 45^th Chess Olympiad in 2024. She also had an impressive run at the 2025 Women’s World Cup in Batumi, reaching the Round of 16. 

Eline Roebers (2360) 

Coming from the Netherlands, the 19-year-old IM is a standout player on the European chess scene. She is a former Dutch Women’s Champion and the winner of the Dutch Youth Championship (Open Division) in 2022. Playing on the second board at the European Women’s Team Championship in 2021, she was awarded an individual bronze medal for her achievement.

 

About the FIDE Grand Swiss 

Held every two years, the FIDE Grand Swiss brings together many of the strongest chess players in the world, playing in a classical 11-round Swiss system tournament. The first Grand Swiss took place in 2019 in the Isle of Man and was won by GM Wang Hao, who scored 8/11. The 2021 edition was moved from the Isle of Man to Riga due to Covid restrictions on the island and was won by GM Alireza Firouzja in the Open and Lei Tingjie in the inaugural Women’s event. The 2023 Grand Swiss was won by India’s Vidit Gujrathi in the Open and Vaishali Rameshbabu in the Women’s competition. 

More information about the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss can be found here on the official website.

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 29. August 2025, 14:57 Uhr

Keymer und Co. starten nach Trainingslager ins Grand Swiss
Quelle: Deutscher Schachbund, 27. August 2025

Nach dem Trainingslager in Kienbaum zeigt sich Péter Lékó optimistisch für die deutschen Nationalspieler. Besonders der Teamgeist und das hohe Niveau hätten überzeugt, berichtet er. Nun steht mit dem FIDE Grand Swiss (2.–16. September) in Samarkand eines der wichtigsten Turniere an, bei dem neben Vincent Keymer auch Matthias Blübaum, Frederik und Rasmus Svane, Dmitrij Kollars, Dennis Wagner, Alexander Donchenko sowie Dinara Wagner antreten. Lékó betont, sein Training sei auf Intensität ausgelegt, um die Spieler auf lange und kräftezehrende Wettbewerbe vorzubereiten. Auch Nachwuchstalente wie Marius Deuer und Leonardo Costa hätten das Trainingslager erfolgreich gemeistert. Neben der Vorbereitung sorgten gemeinsame Sporteinheiten für gute Stimmung. Frauen-Bundestrainer Zahar Efimenko lobte die Intensität und will künftig stärker auf Einzeltraining setzen.

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 29. August 2025, 20:46 Uhr

FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: Updated dress code offers more flexibility

 

FIDE is pleased to publish the dress code for the FIDE Grand Swiss and FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss, reflecting a modern and inclusive approach while preserving the elegance of our sport.

Key update

Appropriate jeans are now permitted as part of the official dress code. This change offers players more comfort and freedom of choice, while ensuring that the overall appearance of the event remains professional and respectful.

Dress code guidelines

Men:

• Suit
• ⁠Dark business casual trousers, including classic, non-distressed jeans (blue, black, and grey)
• ⁠Unicoloured shirt (with minor deviations allowed, e.g. checkered or striped)
• Dress shoes and loafers with closed toes
• ⁠Unicoloured sneakers (soles can be a different colour)

Women:

• Skirt suit, pantsuit, dress suit
• Dress
• Dark business casual trousers, including classic, non-distressed jeans (dark blue, black and grey)
• Shirt/blouse
• ⁠Dress shoes and loafers with closed toes
• ⁠Unicoloured sneakers (soles can be a different colour)

FIDE’s perspective

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich highlighted the spirit of the change:

“FIDE took the decision to provide more flexibility in the dress code. It is still required to follow the official standards, but elegant, appropriate jeans are also allowed. FIDE, chess players, arbiters, and officials must collectively strive to preserve the integrity of chess while also ensuring that the sport remains appealing to the audience and sponsors.”

With this update, FIDE reaffirms its commitment to both tradition and progress — creating an environment where players feel comfortable and confident, while the game continues to shine on the world stage.

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 3. September 2025, 21:28 Uhr

2025-09-03   Ancient Samarkand sets the stage for 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss   The historic city of Samarkand welcomed the chess world with a spectacular ceremony blending history, art and chess, setting the stage for one of the strongest tournaments ever. The ceremony started with a short video that took the audience on a journey in time, from the archaeological discoveries of 7th-century Afrasiab to the present day. The carefully crafted narrative began in darkness, with a golden beam of light revealing ancient chess pieces discovered on the historic hill of Afrasiab – evidence that chess had flourished in these lands for over thirteen centuries. The video was followed by choreographic elements that reflected the tournament’s theme, featuring contemporary dance with mirrored figures and geometric formations, reminiscent of chess squares.

Then came the formal part of the ceremony, with officials taking centre stage. The first to speak was the Director of the Youth Affairs Agency and First Deputy Chairman of the Chess Federation of Uzbekistan, Alisher Sadullaev, who emphasised the tournament’s importance for chess development in the region.

“In the past year Uzbekistan has been engaged in organising a large number of chess competitions thanks to the support of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Samarkand has been made into a global chess arena. We hosted the 2023 World Rapid and Blitz. Next year we are hosting the Chess Olympiad, and it will be a huge event for the world,” Sadullaev said. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich thanked the Uzbekistan government and the country’s chess federation for their support in organising this event and for investment in chess in general.

“The steps taken over the past 15 years have led to the creation of a great generation which is representing Uzbekistan today. This is a clear signal to all other countries in terms of what needs to be done if you want to be in the top of the chess world,” Dvorkovich said.  “This is an exciting journey which is starting in Uzbekistan, bringing excitement to fans all over the world. I wish you all the best of luck,” the FIDE President concluded.

Hokim of Samarkand region, Adiz Boboev pointed out how Samarkand and, indeed, Uzbekistan, has become one of the most prominent organisers of international sports events. “Samarkand has become one of the centres of international sports. Just in the past year we have had the World Triathlon Cup and Para Triathlon Cup, the Asian Judo Championship and other international forums”. Boboev noted that “the sports sector has been identified as a priority area of the state policy in our country” and that further investments are coming, including the 2026 chess Olympiad which will take place in Uzbekistan.    The drawing of lots The ceremony’s key moment came with the drawing of lots for round one colours. Chief Arbiter Laurent Freyd took centre stage, calling forward the top-rated players from both sections: Praggnanandhaa R (Open section) and Anna Muzychuk (Women’s section).

Standing next to the arbiter and the players were two models, dressed in traditional national costumes, holding miniature artworks with Uzbek motifs. The reverse side of each miniature featured white and black colours. Praggnanandhaa ended up selecting the art piece with the black colour on the back, meaning he will start round one with the black pieces. In the women’s section, Anna Muzychuk chose the art piece with the white colour, meaning she starts the tournament as White.

The ceremony closed with a vibrant performance of modern Uzbek dance and a video featuring Uzbekistan’s rise to become one of the most prominent chess nations in the world.   World Champion Guklesh D: “This tournament is so strong that anybody can win” Earlier in the day, a press conference was held featuring World Champion Gukesh D.

The Indian was asked about the decision to play in Samarkand, in an event where his potential challenger will be chosen. “I’m happy to be back here in Samarkand. I was here in 2023 for the World Rapid and Blitz. It’s nice to be back here. Although there’s no need for me to qualify, I think this is still a great tournament. There are not many super strong open Swiss tournaments. It’s an opportunity for me to play in a different format and prove myself”. Gukesh also spoke about how his preparation for the event differed from other – closed – tournaments, where preselected top players take part.

“In Swiss tournaments, you need to win more games and take a bit more chances. I’m glad there will be a lot of hungry players and exciting games. Even though I’ve been playing a lot of closed tournaments, I’ll try to adjust my preparation for the open event here”. When asked about who he sees as the favourites to win the event, Gukesh was diplomatic: “This tournament is so strong that pretty much anybody on a great day can win. I don’t really believe in favourites.” The full report from the press conference can be found HERE. Round one starts on Thursday, September 4, at 3 PM local time. The Round 1 pairings can be found here: Open: grandswiss2025.fide.com/open/ Women: grandswiss2025.fide.com/grand-swiss-women/

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 4. September 2025, 21:13 Uhr

2025-09-04   FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 1: A tale of two tournaments   Round one of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss ended with a high number of draws in the Open section. By contrast, the Women’s Grand Swiss delivered early drama as several top seeds were upset by lower-rated opponents. The first games of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss started at 3 PM local time in Samarkand. Now in its fourth edition, the event has drawn many of the world’s strongest players – including the world champion, Gukesh D – to compete in what is widely seen as the most gruelling Swiss System tournament of the year.

The round began with the traditional ceremonial first move on the top boards. Alisher Sadullaev – the First Vice-President of Uzbekistan Chess Federation and CEO of the Youth Affairs Agency of Uzbekistan – made the ceremonial move on board six, featuring Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Sadullaev was joined by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Chief Arbiter of the event, Laurent Freyd. The opening rounds of Swiss System tournaments, especially round one, usually feature a significant number of victories, as the strongest players are pitted against the lower-rated ones. But the Grand Swiss is different: there are no weak opponents and anyone can win – and lose. It is not surprising then that the majority of the games in the Open event ended in draws.

On board one, top-ranked player R Praggnanandhaa drew with Jeffery Xiong in the Exchange line of the French. “Getting Jeffrey [former World Junior Champion] is unlucky, but everyone is strong here, and you don’t really have easy games,” said Praggnanandhaa after the game. The 19-year-old Indian shrugged off suggestions that he felt any pressure as the top-rated player in the tournament. On board two, Arjun Erigaisi drew with Maksim Chigaev, while rising stars Ediz Gurel and Vincent Keymer split a point in the Ruy Lopez. GM Gabriel Sargissian – a highly successful member of the Armenian chess team – had a winning position against none other than Hans Niemann, but let the advantage slip into a draw.

Among the notable winners in round one are the World Champion Gukesh D who overcame the seasoned French GM Étienne Bacrot on the black side of the Caro-Kann. Anish Giri defeated Armenia’s Robert Hovhannisyan in the Najdorf line of the Sicilian. The winner of the 2023 Grand Swiss, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, also started with a victory against Alexander Donchenko, following time trouble. Alireza Firouzja managed to score against Bassem Amin after the Egyptian GM made a crucial mistake in an equal endgame late in the round.

Uzbekistan’s biggest hope in this tournament, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, defeated Serbia’s Velimir Ivic. In the Najdorf, Abdusattorov created a passer on the a-file and gradually increased pressure on Black. The opponents traded mistakes in time trouble before the time control, but Velimir was last to err.

White is winning here as his a-pawn is unstoppable. 39…Qxa4 40.Bxa4 Rc1 A desperate attempt by Ivic. 41.a8=Q Bd4 42.h4 Rxg1 43.Kh2 Ra1 44.Qe8 and after a few more checks, Black had no more choices but to resign. The first player to score victory in the 2025 Grand Swiss was Aydin Suleymanli from Azerbaijan. The 2609-rated Grandmaster prepared an opening surprise for Indian GM Murali Karthikeyan that included a queen sacrifice.

A first look at the position would suggest nothing unusual after the natural 15.Nce5, but here White opted for 15.Nb2 inviting the obvious move 15…Nxc3 – the white queen is trapped and there is no other option but to sacrifice it. After 16.dxc3 Rxd1 17.Bxd1 White is a queen down, but this unbalanced position is evaluated as equal, given Black’s lag in development. 17…e6 18.g4

And now, the only move for Black was to play 18…Ba3 – giving up the white-squared bishop in exchange for activating his pieces. Instead, Black played the logical move 18…Bg6? and after 19.Bg5 Qxc3 20.Rc1 his king is dangerously exposed.  20…Qxb2 21.Rc6+ Kb7 22.Ne5 White is completely dominating the position and the only way for Black to continue the game was to hand back the queen sacrifice: 22…Qxe5 23.Rxe5 Kxc6 24.Bf3+. Although a pawn down, White’s pieces have all the space while Black is struggling. Eventually, Black had to give up another piece but could not escape defeat.

The game between the winner of this year’s Women’s World Cup Divya Deshmukh and her Indian compatriot Puranik Abhimanyu brought the first real spark in the tournament. Early in the game, in the exchange line of the Queen’s Gambit, the two played a rare continuation which initially seemed like a blunder:

Black has just played 7… Nh5 but after 8.Bxb8 Rxb8 9.g4 he seems to lose a piece. However, after 9…Qh4+ 10.Kd2 Ng3 11.gxf4 Nxh1 12.Nh3 Bd6 13.Bg2 0-0 14.Qh1 Puranik got sufficient compensation through pressure on the centre. Divya went on to create a strong position and dominate, but misplayed in time trouble and ended up losing.  The other woman playing in the Open, Alexandra Goryachkina, lost as Black to Turkish prodigy, GM Erdogmus. The Women’s Grand Swiss The women’s event saw a completely different start, with upsets across the top boards.

On board one, top seed Anna Muzychuk lost on time to 18-year-old Hungarian WGM Zsóka Gaál – despite holding a clearly better position deep into the game.

White is winning after either 36.Ke2 or 36.Kf2, but at this point, she ran out of time. A very unlucky start for Anna, who came to Samarkand with the goal of securing one of the two top spots leading to the 2026 Candidates. European champion Teodora Injac was stunned by Olga Badelka, who took over the initiative in the middlegame and played confidently until the end.

Former world champions also had a poor start. On board two, Tan lost to Olga Girya. In the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Tan created a strong position, making an advance on the queenside. However, towards the end, she miscalculated, lost a pawn and ultimately conceded her defeat. Another former world champion, Mariya Muzychuk, also lost – misplaying an endgame as Black against lower-rated Xeniya Balabayeva.

In another upset, IM Polina Shuvalova lost as White to 100 points lower-rated Azerbaijani player Ulviyya Fataliyeva. There was another surprise earlier in the day when Chinese Woman GM Zhai Mo – the Women’s Chinese Chess Champion in 2018 – was the first to win a full point. She completely outplayed the nearly 100-points-higher-rated Leya Garifullina, forcing her to resign or get checkmated.

19…Qa3? Black is oblivious to White’s threats over the dark squares. Much better was 19…Rg8! and there is no White’s forced win in sight. 20.Kf2! Protecting the e3-pawn and preparing Nd2-e4. 20…h6 21.Ne4 Qb2 22.Rad1 Bd8 – now Black is in a mating net which she cannot escape.

On the other hand, the 2023 winner Vaishali Rameshbabu started with a victory, making a good start on her goal to qualify for the Candidates. Among the top boards, Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Estonia’s Mai Narva with the white pieces. Nurgyul Salimova split a point with Kateryna Lagno on board four. The full results of Day 1 can be found here: Women – grandswiss2025.fide.com/grand-swiss-women/ Open – grandswiss2025.fide.com/open/ Round 2 starts at 3 PM local time on Friday, 5th September.

Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Michal Walusza Official website:  grandswiss2025.fide.com