Have nice memories of Goa, excited to play World Cup: Gukesh

Panaji: The FIDE World Cup returns to India for the first time since 2002. That year, Viswanathan Anand defeated Rustam Kasimdzhanov in the two-game final held in Hyderabad, a victory that helped cement India’s emergence as a major force in world chess.

Now, as the World Cup returns to Indian soil, this time in Goa, top seed Gukesh D, current World Champion and one of the favourites, will look to create a major impact.

“I am really excited and looking forward to playing in the World Cup,” said Gukesh, seeded straight into round two. “Anywhere in India is great of course, but I have some nice memories of Goa as I played some junior events there.”

The 19-year-old last competed in Goa in 2019, finishing tenth at the Goa International Open Grandmasters Chess tournament, despite being seeded much lower at the start.

Over 200 of the world’s best chess players from more than 80 countries will descend on Goa later this week for the most important individual chess event of the year. The tournament will be held from Oct 30 to Nov 27 in Arpora, with players jostling for share of the USD 2 million prize fund. There are also three coveted qualification spots for the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament on offer.

Gukesh arrives in Goa in top form, fresh from a 2927 performance at the European Team Championship, where he won gold on board one and played a decisive role in his team’s overall victory. Arjun Erigaisi has been one of the most consistent elite players this year and will be eager to reaffirm his status among the very best, while R. Praggnanandhaa comes to Goa fully recharged.

The top foreign player who is aiming to pocket the winner’s purse is Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri. Having already sealed his spot in the Candidates, which will decide the challenger to Gukesh in the next World Championship cycle, Anish will have little less pressure going into the tournament.

“The World Cup is a great event and I am going to play it regardless. It is fun to play it,” said Anish, who will be the highest-ranked foreign player. “It is a very tricky qualification path, whatever the format. I have played a lot of them (World Cups).”