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D Gukesh gears up for Chess World Cup as top seed, Dutch GM Anish Giri wary of ‘tricky qualification path’
For D Gukesh, it will be about gaining momentum ahead of the World C'ship next year
The FIDE Chess World Cup is scheduled to take place in Goa from October 31 to November 27, and D Gukesh will be in the spotlight as the top seed. The second and third seeds are also Indians: GMs Arjun Erigaisi and R. Praggnanandhaa. Spots at the Candidates 2026 will also be at stake, going to the winner, runner-up and third-place finisher.
It will be an eight-round knockout event, with the top 50 seeds given a bye in the second round. The losers of the two semis will play a match for third place.
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Speaking ahead of the World Cup, Gukesh said, “I am really excited about the World Cup. Playing anywhere in India is great and I have some great memories of Goa. I have played some junior events there. So, looking forward to being there.”
Meanwhile, Anish Giri, the highest-ranked foreign player in the tournament, said, "The World Cup is a great event, and I am going to play it regardless. It’s fun to play it."
"It’s a very tricky qualification path, whichever is the format. I have played a lot of them (World Cup). Once I got very close to qualifying through the world cup. I lost the semi-final to Peter Svidler (in 2015)."
For Gukesh, it will be about gaining momentum ahead of the World C'ship next year, where he will be defending his title against the winner of the Candidates. Gukesh became the youngest winner of the Candidates last year, and defeated Ding Liren in the World C'ship, becoming the 18th and the youngest undisputed world champion, at 18 years and 195 days.
He hasn't been in good form this year, but he has beaten Magnus Carlsen twice: once in a classical game at Norway Chess and then in a rapid game at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Tournament.
