Doha gets ready to welcome the participants of the world’s fastest chess tournament for a spectacular end to the year. FIDE today announced the regulations for the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz, which will be held from 25 to 30 December and feature a one million euro prize fund.
The World Rapid and Blitz traditionally take place in late December, offering a spectacular finale to the calendar year. Often referred to as the most exciting chess event closing the year, the tournament crowns the kings and queens of the game in its fastest formats.
Top men and women from across the globe will gather for what promises to be a great chess spectacle hosted by Qatar – a nation which plays an increasingly prominent role on the global chess scene.
“The World Rapid & Blitz has traditionally been one of FIDE’s most closely followed events globally, playing a key role in promoting chess to a broader audience,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said. “We’re planning every detail to make it a world-class event. We are very fortunate to have support from the Qatar Chess Association, which is working hard with FIDE to put on a great chess show at the end of this year, and we’re looking forward to it,” Dvorkovich added.
Doha hosted the WRB Championships in 2016. With the World Rapid and Blitz returning to Qatar after nine years, expectations are high for a nation which has in recent years made significant strides in supporting and promoting chess, including the famous Qatar Masters and the most recent Qatar Rail Chess Open.
“We are delighted to welcome the World Rapid and Blitz back to Doha. With the strong support we enjoy in Qatar and the excellent cooperation with FIDE, we have been able to move quickly on key preparations – ensuring the venue, hotels, and all organisational details are set to provide players and spectators alike, both onsite and online, with the highest level of comfort and an unforgettable experience. We believe this edition of the World Rapid and Blitz will serve as a cornerstone in further strengthening chess in Qatar and across the region, while also contributing to the game’s growing global popularity. This is only the beginning of greater achievements to come, and I am confident this will be an event to remember,” said Mohammed Al-Mudhahka, President of the Qatar Chess Association.
The regulations for the 2025 World Rapid & Blitz, outlining all the necessary details regarding the most anticipated fast-paced chess tournament on the planet, can be found here:
Key highlights from the regulations:
The format
The format remains largely unchanged from 2024. The Rapid Championships will include 13 rounds in the Open and 11 in the Women’s tournament, played under the Swiss system and with the time control of 15 minutes and a 10-second increment per move. In the case of a tie for first place even after all tie-break criteria have been applied, the players will play a Blitz match to determine the champion, which can end in a sudden death game in case of further draws. If there are more than two players tied for first place after all tiebreak criteria have been applied, a knockout Blitz tournament will take place.
The World Blitz Championship will feature two stages. In the first stage a large Swiss system tournament will take place (19 rounds in the Open and 15 in the Women’s event). Then, in stage two, the top four players will advance to the knockouts which will consist of four game matches.
The knockout format in the Blitz was first introduced in the 2024 event, when it featured eight players. The change from last year is that the number of players who qualify for the knockouts is four instead of eight. If the score is even after four blitz games, one sudden death game shall be played to determine the winner of the match.
Who can take part?
The World Rapid & Blitz traditionally bring together all the best players in the world, in both the Open and the Women’s category.
Traditionally, FIDE sets a threshold for players to be eligible to participate. This year, the threshold for the Open event is 2550 ELO points on any 2025 FIDE rating list. In the Women’s competition, the threshold sits at 2250 ELO points. Also, national champions (in any format – Standard, Rapid or Blitz) are eligible to take part.
The regulations also include provisions for a “reasonable number” of players outside the qualifying criteria, who can be nominated by the FIDE President and the Organiser.
The prize fund
The total prize fund for the event is one million euros, split across the Open and the Women’s tournaments.
The prize fund for the Open event is 700,000 euros, split equally between Rapid and Blitz (350,000 euros each). The winner of the Open Rapid and the Open Blitz will get 70,000 euros each.
The Women’s event features a total prize fund of 300,000 euros (150,000 euros each for the Rapid and the Blitz). The winner of the Women’s Rapid and the Women’s Blitz will get 40,000 euros each.
Player support
The costs of travel and accommodation will be covered for all players in the Open section rated 2750 points and above, and players rated at least 2500 in the Women’s section.
Also, gold, silver and bronze medallists from the 2024 World Rapid & Blitz will have their full accommodation covered, and they will be provided with a daily spending allowance.
Event schedule
The opening ceremony and technical meeting will take place on 25th December.
The World Rapid Championships will take place on the 26th, 27th and 28th December.
The World Blitz Championships will take place on the 29th and 30th December.
The games are scheduled to start each day at the same time – 2 PM.
The Semi-finals in the Blitz are scheduled for 30th December at 5.30 PM, while the Finals will start at 7.15 PM.
The closing ceremony will start at 9 PM on 30th December.
Departures are scheduled for 31 December.
