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).
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).
The full list of participants of the Women’s Grand Swiss can be found here:
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 on the official website.