FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: Prize fund increases to record $855,000, with six new spots for women
The 2025 edition of the Grand Swiss – one of the strongest open chess tournaments in the world – will feature a significant prize fund boost, along with six additional spots in the Women’s. FIDE has introduced key updates to the regulations for the 2025 Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss, which will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 3 to 15 this year. The changes include a significant increase in the prize fund in both competitions, and providing more spots for players in the Women’s event. A substantial rise in prize money In a significant step towards elevating the prestige of the event, both tournaments will see a substantial increase in the prize money, compared to the previous editions. The Open prize fund will rise from $460,000 to $625,000, a 36% increase, while the Women’s fund sees an even bigger leap, from $140,000 to $230,000—up 64%. “A prize fund increase of this scale isn’t just about numbers—it’s a statement. But it is not just about the prizes. Year after year, FIDE is delivering on our promise to provide more opportunities and better conditions for the wider range of players. We are grateful to Uzbekistan for hosting the Grand Swiss in 2025, and we are looking forward to the tournament in Samarkand to become another landmark event,” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky said. More qualification spots for women The Women’s Grand Swiss will expand to 56 players, with six new spots added to the lineup. Of the six new spots – four players will qualify based on the June 2025 FIDE Standard Rating List, while two wild cards will be awarded by the organizers. “I am particularly happy about the new spots in the women’s event – as this increase aims to broaden participation and enhance competition,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said. “We are exceptionally pleased to have been able to increase the funding for both events, as more players will be able to share prizes. This also gives more chances to emerging talents to further develop their careers, and that has been one of the main goals of FIDE,” Dvorkovich added. Path to the Candidates Apart from being the gathering point for the world’s strongest Grandmasters, the Grand Swiss remains a crucial qualification event, with the top two finishers in both the Open and the Women’s competition securing places in the 2026 Candidates Tournament. Full regulations for both the Open and the Women’s event are published here: FIDE Grand Swiss 2025https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/GrandSwiss FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2025https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/WomenGrandSwiss About the FIDE Grand Swiss: Held every two years, the Grand Swiss brings together many of the strongest chess players in the world and is considered to be one of the most difficult chess tournaments to win. The first Grand Swiss was held in 2019 in the Isle of Man and was won by GM Wang Hao, who scored 8/11. The 2021 edition was moved from the Isle of Man to Riga due to Covid restrictions on the island and was won by GM Alireza Firouzja in the Open and Lei Tingjie in the inaugural Women’s event. The 2023 Grand Swiss was won by India’s Vidit Gujrathi in the Open and Vaishali Rameshbabu in the Women’s competition.