Doha: Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, the current world champion, has officially confirmed his participation in the Qatar 2025 Rapid and Blitz Chess World Cup.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced today that Norwegian Magnus Carlsen will participate in the Rapid and Blitz Chess World Cup, which is set to take place at the Sports and Events Complex of Qatar University from December 25 to 31.
FIDE has revealed today that world champion Magnus Carlsen is among over 360 players who have confirmed their entry into the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Doha.
The announcement further stated that Carlsen, hailing from Norway, has confirmed his participation in the upcoming Doha edition after competing in the previous edition held in New York City, where he secured the gold medal in the World Blitz Chess Championship.
FIDE’s statement highlighted that the World Blitz Championship will feature 233 players, while the Rapid Championship will see 230 players participating.
Additionally, several other top players have confirmed their participation, including Indian rapid world champion Gokich Domrajo, 2024 World Blitz Champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Dutch player Anish Giri, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Vincent Kemer, and Arjun Eregisi, along with Nordrek Abdusattarov, Bragnananda R, Yagiz Can Erdoğmuş, and Idiz Gorel.
Also participating are Russian Alexander Grischuk and Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk, winner of the 2016 World Rapid Chess Championship in Doha.
On the women’s side, Chinese world champion Gu Wenjun officially announced her participation in the tournament, which will feature 130 players, alongside top-ranked players such as Zhou Jiner, Li Tingzhi, Alexandra Goryashkina, and Hampi Konero. Anna Muzychuk, winner of the 2016 World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Doha, and her sister Maria will also be in attendance.
For his part, Russian Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), expressed his great satisfaction with the level of participation in the Doha edition of the World Cup for Rapid and Blitz Chess, adding: “The World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, organized by FIDE, are among the most exciting and watched chess events of the year. I would like to thank the local organizing committee for their efforts.” The determination to make it a wonderful event.
The president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) explained, “The competition will be extremely strong, and it will be a true chess festival. Once again, FIDE has succeeded in bringing together the world’s best players, and we are eagerly anticipating this fantastic tournament.”
President of the Qatar Chess Association (QCA) Mohammed Al-Mudahka confirmed that the participation of Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen is a tremendous achievement and will bring significant positive gains to the tournament, which begins at the end of December.
Al-Mudahka added that QCA played a major role in convincing Carlsen to participate, especially after the events surrounding last year’s World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York, which led to the Norwegian player’s withdrawal from the World Rapid Championships.
The President of the Qatar Chess Federation explained: “Doha is now the only city to have hosted the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships twice, having first hosted them in 2016. This is a landmark achievement in the history of chess and sports in Qatar, as Doha returns to host the championships after nine years, confirming Qatar’s growing stature in the world of chess. We are proud to welcome this elite group of players.” World stars in Doha.
