Doha: The competitions of the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Cup Qatar 2025 officially got underway today at Qatar University's Sports and Events Complex, where the tournament will continue until December 30.
The championship brings together the world's elite chess players to compete for four titles in rapid and blitz chess, across both the open and women's categories.
A total of 251 players are competing in the men's rapid chess event, while 254 players are participating in the men's blitz chess competition. The women's events feature 142 players, including reigning world champions, leading rapid and blitz specialists, and top contenders representing national federations from around the globe.
The opening ceremony featured several segments, including a traditional Qatari Ardah performance and a theatrical presentation, attended by a number of officials from the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
The tournament was officially inaugurated by President of the Qatar Chess Federation, Mohammed Al Mudahka, who symbolically made the opening move alongside President of FIDE, Arkady Dvorkovich.
Assistant Undersecretary for Youth Affairs at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Ahmed Mohammed Al Harmi made the ceremonial first move in the men's rapid chess competition on board one, featuring World Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway against Italy's Lorenzo Lodici.
Carlsen enjoyed a perfect start to the tournament, securing three consecutive victories-defeating Lodici in the opening round, Russia's David Paravyan in round two, and Spain's Eduardo Iturrizaga in round three.
Among the Qatari players, International Master Hussein Aziz lost his first-round match to Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Yakubboev, followed by a second-round defeat to Italy's Lorenzo Lodici, before claiming victory in round three against Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz Al Khanji.
Qatar national team player Khaled Al Jumaat suffered defeats in the first two rounds against Turkey's Koral Ediz and Iran's Pardiya Daneshvar, while fellow Qatari Hamad Al Kuwari lost to Greece's Alexis Dimitris and Serbia's Armin Musovic in the opening rounds.
Among the standout results, Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi, the 2024 World Blitz Chess Champion, defeated Iran's Pardiya Daneshvar and Georgia's Giga Kurbadze, before drawing with Greece's Theodor Nikolaos in the third round.
The championship features a stellar lineup of global stars, including Indian World Rapid Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, R. Praggnanandhaa, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Ediz Gürel, as well as Russia's Alexander Grischuk and Ukraine's Vassily Ivanchuk, the 2016 World Rapid Chess Champion in Doha.
In the women's competition, five-time World Champion Ju Wenjun of China, the world's top-ranked player, drew her matches against Uzbekistan's Umida Omonova (ranked 49th) and Azerbaijan's Govhar Beydullayeva (ranked 71st), before defeating Russia's Alina Bivol.
China's Tan Zhongyi, the world No. 2 and former Women's World Champion, suffered a third-round loss to India's Vaishali Rameshbabu, after earlier victories over American Jennifer Yu and Hungary's Zsoka Gaal.
Qatar national team player Jo Shen lost her first two matches to Russia's Galina Mikhailova and Poland's Lioya Jarocka, before securing a win against Maria Zvereva of Monaco.
Al Harmi affirmed that Qatar continues to consolidate its global standing as a host of major international sporting events, citing the country's advanced organizational capabilities and accumulated expertise, which have made it a preferred destination for global competitions.
He noted that hosting the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship - Qatar 2025 reflects Qatar's leadership in promoting sports at both the regional and international levels, wishing all participants success.
For his part, Mohammed Al Mudahka expressed his great pleasure at the launch of the championship in Qatar, emphasizing that the organizing committee had worked tirelessly for months to deliver an outstanding edition featuring the world's top-ranked players.
He praised the efforts of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and thanked all sponsors, welcoming all participating delegations and expressing hope that the tournament would be exceptional in every respect. He also highlighted the importance of the event for young Qatari players, describing it as a valuable learning experience alongside the world's elite.
President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Arkady Dvorkovich confirmed that the current edition of the championship is witnessing strong participation, with 400 male and female players from 70 countries, including many young talents, providing an opportunity for the emergence of new contenders.
In a press statement, Dvorkovich said: "We are delighted with the launch of this year's World Championship in Qatar, and we have great confidence in the Qatar Chess Federation's ability to deliver an outstanding tournament, as demonstrated in previous editions-whether in the past four Qatar Masters tournaments or the World Championship held here nine years ago."
He noted that fierce competition is expected, given the presence of many of the world's top players and highest-ranked competitors, promising exciting and entertaining matches for fans.
Dvorkovich described the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship as a tournament that traditionally provides a thrilling conclusion to the chess calendar year, wishing all players success, fair play, exciting games, and memorable experiences in Doha.
He concluded by thanking the State of Qatar for its organization of the event, stressing the tournament's importance in spreading chess culture across the region.
The total prize fund for the championship exceeds EUR 1 million, distributed across the open and women's competitions. FIDE has allocated EUR 700,000 for the open category-divided equally between the rapid and blitz events-and EUR 300,000 for the women's competitions, also distributed equally.
