Chess is making a historic debut at the Esports World Cup 2025, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in July. The chess tournament will feature 16 top-class players from around the world competing for a $1.5 million prize pool in a fast-paced 10+0 rapid format.
Some of these players have already been decided, while others will compete for the four remaining spots in the coming weeks, making an elite lineup for the Chess Esports World Cup 2025.
Chess Esports World Cup 2025 Format: How will the Tournament be?
The Chess Esports World Cup 2025 kicks off with the group stage on July 29-30, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals on July 31. The grand final and the third-place match will take place on 1 August. Here is the full breakdown of all stages:
Stage 1, Group Stage
- A total of 16 players are divided into 4 groups.
- Follows a double-elimination format within each group, which means the players are eliminated only after losing two matches.
- Matches follow a two rapid games (10+0 time control) format.
- The top 2 players advance to the next stage.
Stage 2, Playoffs
- 8 players who advanced from the group stage.
- No second chances will be given, one loss means elimination.
- Quarterfinal matches are the best-of-four games.
- Semifinal matches are best-of-six games.
- The Grand Final is a best-of-three game, with a separate third-place match.
Chess Esports World Cup 2025: Full Schedule
| Date | Stage/Event |
| July 24–26 | Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) |
| July 29–30 | Group Stage |
| July 31 | Quarterfinals & Semifinals |
| August 1 | Grand Final & Third-Place Match |
Chess Esports World Cup 2025: Confirmed Players
12 out of 16 players for the Chess Esports World Cup 2025 have earned their spots through the Champions Chess Tour 2025, which was held in two stages. The first one was held in February as Chessable Masters, and the other one finished recently in May as Chess.com Classic. These players represent various esports organisations. The details are given below:
| Team | Players |
| Team Liquid | Hikaru Nakamura, D. Gukesh, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Levon Aronian |
| Team Falcons | Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Richard Rapport |
| Gen.G | Arjun Erigaisi |
| Aurora | Ian Nepomniachtchi |
| NAVI | Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Oleksandr Bortnyk |
| LGD | Ding Liren |
Chess Esports World Cup 2025: How Will Other Players Qualify?
There are still four slots left, which will be decided through a Last Chance Qualifier held at DreamHack Dallas from 23-25 May 2025. This open event allows both professional and amateur players to compete for direct entry at the Chess Esports World Cup 2025.
Also Read: Tekken 8 Esports World Cup 2025: Format And Players
