Hosted at Qatar College’s Sport and Occasions Advanced from December 26 to 30, the 2025 World Speedy & Blitz Chess Championship guarantees thrilling encounters as elite gamers from the world over descend on the Qatari capital.
Doha is as soon as once more set to change into the worldwide chess hub as preparations for the 2025 World Speedy & Blitz Chess Championship attain their ultimate stage.
The Organising Committee held a press convention immediately, Thursday, on the Rosewood Resort in Lusail, the place officers and prime gamers highlighted the dimensions and significance of this yr’s championship.
Throughout the press convention, Mohammed Al-Mudahka, President of the Qatar Chess Federation, welcomed the gathering of media and chess fanatics, emphasising the occasion’s record-breaking participation.
“The 2025 World Speedy & Blitz Chess Championship is really particular, that includes members from a number of international locations. This championship has set a world file for participation. Now we have virtually 300 gamers competing throughout all codecs. Among the many gamers are reigning world champions, notably within the ladies’s class,” he acknowledged.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expressed his gratitude to the hosts and highlighted the rising pleasure round chess in Qatar. He confused that “from FIDE aspect I can solely say that we count on an actual battle, plenty of enjoyable for spectators, and coming ahead to subsequent years we’ll see increasingly quicker codecs in chess, a mix of these, which goes to be nice pleasure for all gamers and followers”.
The championship carries a complete prize fund of roughly EUR 1 million, with EUR 700,000 allotted to the Open class and EUR 300,000 for the Girls’s class, evenly break up between the Speedy and Blitz competitions.
This yr, the Blitz format will comply with a knockout system for each classes, with the highest 4 gamers from the Swiss rounds advancing on to the semifinals. In the meantime, the Speedy Chess Championship will comply with its conventional format, consisting of 13 rounds within the Open part and 11 within the Girls’s part, with a playoff in case of a tie for first place.
The roster of members is outstanding, together with reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju of India, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, 2024 World Blitz Champion Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu of India, amongst others.
Throughout immediately’s press convention, Gukesh, reflecting on his strategy, stated, “enjoying effectively in any format is essential to me. I’ve been taking Speedy and Blitz extra critically this yr, although classical occasions stay my fundamental priorities. I don’t have excessive expectations for this occasion; I’m right here to play, experiment, get pleasure from, and have enjoyable”.
Magnus Carlsen, the world No.1, added a private be aware, sharing that being a husband and father has been a implausible expertise this yr. “Neither my spouse nor my son are a lot assist with chess recommendation but, however I’m right here to win, as all the time. It doesn’t change,” he stated.
The ladies’s class options an equally spectacular lineup, with five-time World Champion Ju Wenjun of China, Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia, Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan, Anna and Mariya Muzychuk, and Kateryna Lagno among the many 130 feminine members. Ju Wenjun herself was current on the convention to debate her preparation and expectations for the championship.
Doha beforehand hosted the World Speedy & Blitz Chess Championship in 2016, when Vasyl Ivanchuk of Ukraine claimed the Speedy title, whereas Sergey Karjakin of Russia took house the Blitz crown.
The 2025 version guarantees to construct on this legacy, combining high-level competitors with a world showcase of strategic brilliance, providing followers each in Qatar and worldwide an unforgettable spectacle of chess mastery.
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