The 13th edition of the FIDE World Cup 2025 is currently being hosted in Goa, India, where 206 participants from 82 countries will compete for the bragging rights until 2027.
After Magnus Carlsen, the 2023 champion and world No. 1, withdrew and was replaced by Germany’s Vincent Keymer, the field has opened up and fans may see a new winner this year.
With a total of 24 Indians participating, including the poster boy of Indian chess, the 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju, we take a look at the list of Indians who have previously won the tournament.
Which Indians have won the FIDE World Cup?
So far, only Viswanathan Anand has won the FIDE World Cup in the past. He won the competition in the inaugural season in 2000 and backed it up by defending the title in the subsequent edition of 2002.
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The first time, he defeated the Russian Grandmaster Evgeny Bareev with a score of 1.5-0.5 in Shenyang, China. In the following edition of 2002, he triumphed over the Uzbekistani Grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov in a two-game match in Hyderabad, India.
| Edition | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Viswanathan Anand (IND) | Evgeny Bareev (RUS) |
| 2002 | Viswanathan Anand (IND) | Rustam Kasimdzhanov (UZB) |
Who are the Indians contenders in FIDE World Cup 2025?
Currently, only Arjun Erigaisi is the remaining Indian contender to clinch the Chess World Cup 2025 title.