The final day of the 2025 FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship saw Greco crowned Corporate Chess Champions and officially recognised as the smartest company in the world.
After an intense round-robin phase, the competition moved to the semi-finals, where the four strongest teams – Morgan Stanley, Greco, Deloitte, and Google – faced off in knockout matches to decide the title. By the end of the afternoon, Greco had emerged victorious after a closely contested final against Morgan Stanley, bringing this year’s championship to a dramatic finish inside the FIDE World Cup hall in Goa.
Excitement filled the room from the first move. Whether it was the thrill of representing their companies on a global platform, being within reach of a world title, or competing in the same hall as the World Cup, the players (all non-professionals) were fully focused. Almost every board featured titled competitors, and the chess was intense from the outset.
Semifinals
The semifinals featured Morgan Stanley vs Google and Greco vs Deloitte, with each match played over two rounds. In the event of a tie, a sudden-death game would have been used to decide the winner.
In the match between Morgan Stanley and Google, the rating difference was clear, with Morgan Stanley outranking their counterparts by 200 to 500 points on every board. They confirmed their status as favourites by sweeping both rounds 4-0. With a perfect 8-0 match score and not a single half-point conceded, Morgan Stanley cruised into the finals.
The encounter between Greco and Deloitte was more tightly contested. On paper, Greco had the edge thanks to the presence of GM Volodymyr Onyshchuk (2608) on the top board. They took the first match 3.5–0.5.
As IM Sagar Shah observed on the live ChessBase India broadcast, the second match was significantly closer, with Deloitte holding a draw on board two and pushing on others. In the end, Greco repeated the same match score of 3.5-0.5 to book their spot in the finals.
FINALS
Morgan Stanley vs Greco
The championship match between Morgan Stanley and Greco brought the two strongest teams of the event head-to-head. The matchups were finely balanced: Greco outrated Morgan Stanley on boards one and four, while Morgan Stanley held the rating edge on boards two and three. The opening round reflected this balance. GM Joshua Sheng struck first for Morgan Stanley, securing victory on board two. On the remaining boards, the clock played a significant role as the 10+3 time control led to scrambles in equal or better positions.
The first round ended in a tense 2-2 draw, setting up a dramatic second match. GM Alojzije Janković, commenting on-site, compared some of the positions to those in the World Cup itself, noting the remarkably high level of chess across all boards. Despite the rating differences, the tides shifted throughout, leaving spectators and commentators on edge.
In the end, Greco prevailed with a commanding 3.5-0.5 win in the second match, securing their place as 2025 World Corporate Champions.
Deloitte vs Google
In the bronze medal match, Deloitte took the early lead with a 3-1 win in the first round and repeated the same result in the second, securing third place in the championship. Their play was solid and consistent under pressure, earning them a podium finish behind the two tournament frontrunners.
Game of the tournament
One encounter stood out as a highlight of the entire championship. IM Sagar Shah called it the game of the tournament.
In the position after 31…Qe4-Qc6, GM Joshua Sheng (White) was a piece down against IM Valeriy Grinev, but engines evaluated it as equal due to White’s activity. The commentators pointed out the stunning tactical opportunity: 32.Qxg7! The queen cannot be captured as 32…Rxg7 fails to 33.Rxd8#. The only defense for Black in this case would have been 32…Qe8, still holding equality. Instead, Sheng played 32.Rd6, and after 32…Qh1+, the game was drawn soon by three-fold repetition.
Chess and business share a natural connection. Both require strategic planning, flexibility under pressure, and precise decision-making in complex situations. More companies are embracing chess not just as a recreational pastime, but as a tool to develop these skills among employees. Internal chess clubs, learning sessions, and corporate tournaments form part of a workplace culture built around challenge and collaboration. On today’s broadcast, WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili recalled visiting Meta’s offices after last year’s finals in New York, where she found chess boards in most rooms and learned the company even maintains its own internal rating system, an example of how deeply chess is woven into corporate environments.
This movement toward chess in the workplace is evident at the FWCCC. Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa, who made the ceremonial first move yesterday, commented, “It’s great to see big companies like Google, Microsoft, Deloitte, Tech Mahindra all here… it shows how chess is expanding into the corporate world,” adding, “If companies find chess interesting and join, even in a small way, it’s great for the game.”
As Morgan Gabor from Morgan Stanley shared, “We’ve been running an interoffice chess tournament for more than a decade now. Participation has grown, more than 1,000 players take part every year.” He added, “Chess teaches us to think ahead under time pressure, just like in business. It’s no surprise the game resonates so well with people in our field.”
The trend goes beyond office walls. Leading companies now support chess at the highest levels, from Google sponsoring the 2024 FIDE World Championship Match, to Morgan Stanley supporting Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival, and Tech Mahindra’s continued backing of the Global Chess League – to name a few. The FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship reflects this growing synergy, bringing together teams who apply the same analytical thinking and teamwork on the chessboard that they use in their daily work. It’s a clear sign that modern business culture values intellectual challenge, community, and strategic excellence in equal measure. Companies interested in joining this movement and competing at next year’s FWCCC are encouraged to contact FIDE for early registration and participation details.
Written by Charlize van Zyl, FIDE Press Officer (Goa, India)
Photos: Michal Walusza and Eteri Kublashvili