India, Nov. 1 -- Round 1 of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 begins on Saturday (1 November), but some of the top GMs won't be in action. The top 50 players have received a bye in the opening round, which includes top seed D. Gukesh, second and third seeds Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa.

Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana won't be in action as they have decided to skip the event. Spots for Candidates 2026 are also at stake. The top three finishers will qualify for the Candidates. The winner of the Candidates will face Gukesh in the World C'ship next year. Speaking to WION, chess legend Viswanathan Anand was asked about his favourite to win the Chess World Cup in Goa.

Anand didn't name his favourite, but stated that Erig...