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The 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships is one of the most closely followed events on the international chess calendar. The championships bring together the world’s leading players to compete for four world titles across rapid and blitz in both the Open and Women’s sections.
Thursday’s official opening press conference at the Rosewood Hotel in Doha marked the formal start of the championship which was addressed by Mohammed Al Mudahka, President of Qatar Chess Federation (QCF) and Vice-President of the Arab Chess Federation joined by FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich and world number one women’s player Ju Wenjun of China besides Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Gukesh Dommaraju of India.
The event will take place in Doha from December 26 to 30, and features a total prize fund of more than €1,000,000 across the Open and Women’s competitions. The Open Rapid Championship includes 251 players, while the Open Blitz Championship features 254 players. The Women’s events bring together a field of 142 players.
The line-up includes reigning world champions, elite speed chess specialists, and leading contenders representing federations from around the world.
Play begins on Friday afternoon following the opening ceremony, with the blitz competition the first event to get under way.
Among the headline names are reigning classical world champion Gukesh, world number one Carlsen, and Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, the 2024 world blitz champion.
The field also includes Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Alexander Grischuk.
Several rising stars are also competing, including 15-year-old Russian grandmaster Ivan Zemlyanskii and 14-year-old Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, one of the youngest players in history to reach a 2600 rating.
Qatar will be represented by international master Hussein Aziz, alongside Khaled Al Jamaat, Hamad Al Kuwari and Ibrahim Al Janahi. In the women’s event, five-time world champion Ju Wenjun of China heads the field.
The world number one won the women’s blitz world title in New York in 2024 and is among the favourites once again. She is joined by former world champions Tan Zhongyi and Anna Muzychuk, as well as Alexandra Goryachkina and Bibisara Assaubayeva, a two-time women’s blitz world champion. Former champion Kateryna Lagno is also competing.
Former World Champion Carlsen returns to Doha as the reigning co-Blitz Champion and attended the press conference alongside his family. Asked about becoming a father, Carlsen said, “I love being a husband and a father. It has been a fantastic experience this year.” He added with a smile that “neither my wife nor my son are too much of a help when it comes to chess advice yet,” who has won the rapid title five times and the blitz crown on eight occasions. The 35-year-old shared the blitz title with Ian Nepomniachtchi in New York last year, and will be aiming to defend his title in Doha.
“I am here to win, as always, that does not change” Carlsen, said.
“I want to compete for the title, even though the competition will be fierce among all players,” he added.
When questioned about his motivation for the event, Carlsen stated that he is competing to win, while also noting with a smile that there are expectations in Norway for him to provide good holiday entertainment.
Carlsen disclosed that his close association with QCF and Al Mudahka convinced him to rescind his decision not to play the World Rapid & Blitz Championships following a dress code debacle last year.
“I have participated twice before in the Qatar Masters, as well as in the 2016 World Championships,” Carlsen said.
“I like coming here. I have a good relationship with the President of the Qatar Chess Association Mohammed al-Mudahka, and this played a significant role in my participation in the tournament. My family likes it here too,” the Norwegian, who became a dad on September 27, added.
“The results in the last edition (of Qatar Masters) were not satisfactory for me. All the competitors have a strong chance (this week) and the gap between the top-ranked players and the rest has narrowed, making the task difficult for everyone,” Carlsen noted.
Carlsen pointed out that the integration of technology into the rules of chess is extremely important, but it must be used positively to serve the game, provided that mental fortitude and constant focus are maintained in order to find quick solutions.
Carlsen, never short of an expression at press conferences, added that AI was making chess ‘boring’.
“To give an honest answer, I think all of these (AI) tools are incredible for learning, and they were very exciting for top chess players at the start. Over time, it’s made the game harder, and honestly more and more boring. Kind of made it too easy to prep up. So, there’s always give and take with technology,” he said.
“For me, playing well in any format is important,” Gukesh, the reigning world champion in classical chess, said
Gukesh, the youngest male world champion and the third youngest to reach a rating of 2700 and the youngest to reach a rating of 2750, said there would be fierce competition among the players.
“Everyone is looking forward to this participation with great anticipation,” Gukesh said Thursday. “I am used to facing many young players, and the competition will certainly be very tough,” he added.
“I had some good practice from the Global Chess League. I played a few rapid games against some very strong opponents. So, I’m happy to be here to play more rapid games. My strategy would be to just play fast, focus on each game, and make the most of it,” he said.
But the Indian chess star quickly added: “I think, for me, playing well in any format is always important. I have been taking rapid and blitz a bit more seriously this year. That being said, I think rapid and blitz events have been slightly less of a priority than classical events for me.”
The world champion said that he has benefited immensely from modern technology, which has developed his abilities, but he pointed out the need for caution.
“For me, it’s mostly been positive and more. Something that (AI) helps me learn a lot of things quickly but also there are disadvantages.
“Like it’s made preparations easier and in classical games it’s harder and harder to win games against opponents who are well-prepared,” Gukesh said.
“But I enjoy working with computers and learning new ideas,’’ the 19-year-old added.
Chinese chess star Ju Wenjun, ranked number one in the world, said that she feels excited to be participating in the Doha event.
“The tournament is a prominent event and an opportunity for participating players from all over the world to showcase their talents and abilities,” Ju Wenjun said Thursday.
When asked about the role of AI and its impact on the game, the Chinese champion explained: “Without a doubt, the use of technology has contributed to honing the skills of both male and female players and has been extremely important, but caution and complete mental preparation are essential.”
Besides Carlsen and Gukesh, this year’s iteration will feature the participation of the world’s elite players, including Russia’s Nepomniachtchi, American Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri of the Netherlands, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkiye, as well as Alexander Grischuk of Russia and Vasyl Ivanchuk of Ukraine, the winner of the 2016 World Rapid Chess Championship in Doha.
Representing Qatar are International Master Hussein Aziz, Khalid al-Jumaat, Hamad al-Kuwari and Ibrahim al-Janahi.
In the Women’s category, Wenjun will headline the field, alongside compatriot Tan Zhongyi, the world No 2, Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia, Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan, Anna Muzychuk, the winner of the 2016 World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, and her sister Mariya Muzychuk, in addition to Kateryna Lagno of Russia and India’s Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. The event will feature a total of 130 female players.
Doha last hosted the championship in 2016, when Vasyl Ivanchuk of Ukraine won the World Rapid Chess Championship, and Sergey Karjakin of Russia clinched the World Blitz Chess Championship title with the participation of 120 International Masters and 36 International Masters.
Dvorkovich, President of FIDE, welcomed players and guests to Doha and thanked the hosts and partners for staging the event.
“We are very pleased to be here in Doha, Qatar, just one day before the opening of the World Rapid and Blitz Championships,” he said. Praising the host city, he described Qatar as “a beautiful place with a rich and successful chess history” and noted that players “really love this place, which is why they have all come here to show their best qualities.”
Placing the championships in the wider sporting context, Dvorkovich highlighted the strength of the season leading into Doha.
“We are coming back from a few important events, including the World Cup and the Mahindra Global Chess League,” he said, adding that many of the same players are now competing for world titles. Looking ahead, he emphasised the growing role of fast chess, noting that “we expect a real fight and a lot of fun for spectators,” and that “looking ahead to the coming years, we will see more and more faster formats in chess.”
Al Mudahka, President of QCF, welcomed the speakers, players, and media and highlighted the scale of the championships. “This championship has set a world record for participation,” he said. “We have almost 300 players competing across all formats.” Addressing the media, he added that the event offers “a very special opportunity to meet three reigning world champions” and concluded by noting that the tournament is “just one day away from what promises to be the very best World Rapid and Blitz Championship.”
The press conference concluded with the traditional drawing of lots, conducted by Chief Arbiter Nebojsa Baralic, to determine the colours for the top-seeded players in both championships. The colours drawn will apply to the top board (board 1) and all odd-numbered boards in both the Rapid and Blitz Championships.
As the top seed in the Open section, Magnus Carlsen drew the white pieces for the Rapid Championship and the black pieces for the Blitz, while Ju Wenjun drew the black pieces for the Rapid and the white pieces for the Blitz.
The first games of the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championship will be played on 26 December at the Sports and Events Complex at Qatar University, with both the Open and Women’s sections competing in the same playing hall. Spectators wishing to attend the event in person can purchase tickets via the official ticketing platform.
The total prize fund exceeds €1 million, with €700,000 allocated to the open competitions and €300,000 to the women’s events, split evenly between the rapid and blitz championships. Doha previously hosted the Rapid Chess World Championship in 2016, when Ukraine’s Vasyl Ivanchuk claimed the title in a tournament featuring more than 150 elite players.
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