FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: Praggnanandhaa has backup, but Erigaisi and Gujrathi must seize their chances in Samarkand

India’s chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa will be one of the favourites as he enters the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 with the hope of qualifying for the FIDE Candidates 2026, but compatriots like world champion D Gukesh and good friend Arjun Erigaisi will look to spoil his party.

The FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 will be played from 4 to 15 September at the Silk Road EXPO in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The Open Grand Swiss 2025 tournament offers not only a massive prize pool of $625,000, but also two spots in the Candidates 2026 tournament. The winner of the FIDE Candidates 2026 tournament will take on Gukesh in the World Chess Championship next year.

👏 World Champion 🇮🇳 Gukesh D has arrived in Samarkand for the FIDE Grand Swiss!

♟️FIDE Grand Swiss 2025
📍 Samarkand 🇺🇿
🗓 September 4–15
📺 Live on FIDE’s YouTube & Twitch#FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/5qaKvpsZwQ

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 2, 2025

FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: All you need to know

Considering the high significance of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, all top players would be aiming to finish the chess tournament in the top two positions. But they face an uphill battle against some of the best players in the world. Apart from Gukesh, who is participating despite being the world champion, Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa, other top players at the event are Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Anish Giri, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Levon Aronian and Vladimir Fedoseev.

Also Read | **Nodirbek Abdusattorov takes dig at D Gukesh** when asked to share unpopular chess opinion

The tournament will be played in an 11-round Swiss tournament with a time control of 100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, and 15 extra minutes for the rest of the game. There will be a 30-second increment per move from move one.

The winner will take home a reward of $90,000, while the runner-up will earn $75,000.

Erigaisi, Gujrathi must target top two spots in FIDE Grand Swiss 2025

Praggnanandhaa has been in top form this year, winning the Tata Steel Masters and UzChess Cup Masters and finishing second at the Sinquefield Cup. The 20-year-old from Chennai will be keen to win the tournament and seal a place in the Candidates 2026. However, he has a backup in place if that doesn’t happen.

Praggnanandhaa can qualify for FIDE Candidates 2026 despite finishing out of the top two at FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, as he is leading the FIDE Circuit 2025 with a comfortable margin.

FIDE Circuit: Praggnanandhaa pulls away with dominant summer

🇮🇳 Praggnanandhaa R extended his lead in the FIDE Circuit race over the summer with impressive performances at the UzChess Cup Masters (1st place, 22.19 points) and the 12th Sinquefield Cup (2nd place, 20.72 points).… pic.twitter.com/QLiABlckoF

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 2, 2025

Praggnanandhaa is in the first position with 107 circuit points, while Giri (52.77) and Abdusattorov (50.78) are second and third, respectively. The FIDE Circuit 2025 leader would also get a direct spot in the Candidates 2026.

With his commanding lead, Praggnanandhaa should qualify for Candidates 2026 as the Circuit leader, unless he suffers a dramatic fall from here.

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But Indian Grandmasters like Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi, the winner of FIDE Grand Swiss 2023, must target a strong performance in Samarkand to qualify for the Candidates 2026, as they are way behind in the FIDE Circuit 2025 standings.

Besides, the FIDE Circuit winner and two players from Grand Swiss tournament, three players from the FIDE World Cup 2025 and one more based on six months of the highest rating average will also qualify for the Candidates.

So far, American Fabiano Caruana has only qualified as the leader of the FIDE Circuit 2024.