India, Nov. 1 -- The FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 kicked off on Saturday as its opening ceremony was held in Panjim, where the new trophy was unveiled. The new Chess World Cup trophy has been named after Viswanathan Anand, in honour of the Indian chess legend. The tournament this year will take place in Goa, and 24 Indians will be in action among the 206-player field. Eight Indians are among the top 50 and have a bye into the second round. D Gukesh is the top seed, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa are the second and third seeds.

Defending champion Magnus Carlsen won't be in action, and the same goes for Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. The trio have skipped the event.

At the World Cup, Candidates 2026 berths are also at stake. The top ...