Press release by FIDE

World champion Gukesh Dommaraju and Magnus Carlsen join over 360 players who have confirmed their participation in the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in Doha.

The event, which will take place from December 25 to 30, brings together a field featuring multiple world champions, most of the sport's highest-rated competitors, and rising stars.

A total of 233 players registered for the Blitz Open and 230 for the Rapid. After missing out on the crown in the Rapid and sharing gold in the Blitz in the previous edition in New York, Magnus Carlsen - who this year became a father - returns to the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz. He will try to unseat the 2024 World Rapid champion, Volodar Murzin, who has had strong tournament performances throughout the year.

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Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Lennart Ootes

World Champion Gukesh D has also confirmed his attendance. His participation is expected to draw a lot of interest from the public. In particular, his superb result in Zagreb earlier this year indicates he will be one of the favourites in Rapid.

Many seasoned elite players such as 2024 World Blitz co-champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, and Levon Aronian have also confirmed their participation. Challenging them will be a new generation of contenders seeking to disrupt established hierarchies: Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, and Ediz Gürel to name just a few.

Vasyl Ivanchuk | Photo: Michal Walusza

And, of course, the public will be delighted to see legendary players like Alexander Grischuk, and Vasyl Ivanchuk, who actually won the World Rapid in Doha, back in 2016.

The FIDE Women's Rapid and Blitz will also see the best in the world taking part. Headlined by women's world champion Ju Wenjun, the competition will see 130 players, including heavyweights Zhu Jiner, Lei Tingjie, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Humpy Koneru and more. Anna Muzychuk - who won both the rapid and blitz sections in Doha in 2016 - will also be there, together with her sister, Mariya.

Ju Wenjun | Photo: Anna Shtourman

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"The lineup shows the immense strength and magnetism of the World Rapid & Blitz", FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.

"We are pleased to see so many strong players in both the open and the women's competition confirming they will take part. The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz is traditionally one of the most exciting and most watched chess events in the year, and we expect that tradition to continue. I'd like to thank the local organizing committee for sparing no effort in making it a great event", Dvorkovich added.

"The field is tremendously strong, and it is going to be a real chess feast. Once again, FIDE managed to gather nearly all the world's best players, and I am looking forward to a great sportive drama, fascinated both in my FIDE capacity, and as a life-time chess fan", says FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky.

"Doha is now the only city to host the World Rapid & Blitz Championship twice, a milestone for chess and for sports in Qatar. It reflects our deep passion for the game and our commitment to delivering excellence. We are proud to welcome the world's greatest players back to Doha, where ambition, tradition, and the future of our sport meet", said Mohd Al-Mudahka, President of Qatar Chess Federation.

Taking place in Doha (Qatar) from December 25 to 30, the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship has a prize fund of over €1,000,000 spread across the open and the women's competitions. Doha last hosted the championship in 2016, when Vasyl Ivanchuk claimed the title in the Rapid section and Sergey Karjakin became the Blitz World Champion.

About the event

The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 is taking place in Doha, Qatar from December 25 to 30, bringing together the world's elite chess talent for a thrilling end-of-year showdown. Held at the Sports and Events Complex, Qatar University, this edition features both Open and Women’s events in Rapid and Blitz formats, with a total prize fund of over €1,000,000. Doha returns as host after nine years, underscoring Qatar's growing stature in the chess world.

The full list of registered players can be found here:

• Rapid Open: worldrapidandblitz2025.fide.com/participants-rapid-open/
• Rapid Women: worldrapidandblitz2025.fide.com/participants-rapid-women/
• Blitz Open: worldrapidandblitz2025.fide.com/participants-blitz-open/
• Blitz Women: worldrapidandblitz2025.fide.com/participants-rapid-women/
• Official website

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