World champion D Gukesh leads the field as the top seed in the upcoming FIDE World Cup in Goa, which runs from October 30 to November 27. Fellow Indian players Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa are seeded second and third, respectively. Denmark’s Anish Giri holds the fourth seed position in this prestigious tournament, which offers a substantial prize pool of USD 2 million. The competition will feature 206 players from around the world.The tournament not only offers attractive prize money but also provides three direct qualification spots for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.The seeding continues with USA’s Wesley So at fifth, followed by Vincent Keymer, Wei Yi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Hans Niemann completing the top ten.This year’s World Cup marks a change as the men’s tournament is being held separately from the women’s event. The women’s tournament concluded in July, with Divya Deshmukh emerging victorious.Deshmukh’s triumph earned her both the grandmaster title and a place in the 2026 Women’s Candidates tournament.
