Big Changes to the 2025 World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships
FIDE, the International Chess Federation, has announced exciting changes for the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Championships. The tournament will feature a new format and a massive prize fund of 1 million euros.
The event will take place in Doha, Qatar, a city known for hosting top-level chess events. This includes the prestigious Qatar Masters and the 2016 edition of the Rapid & Blitz Championship.
Since launching in 2012, the World Rapid & Blitz has become one of the biggest events in chess. It draws the top stars in the game, including:
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Current world champions Gukesh Dommaraju and Ju Wenjun
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Chess superstar Magnus Carlsen
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And many other elite players in both the Open and Women’s sections
A Boost in Prize Money
The prize pool for 2025 is set at 1 million euros (around 1.125 million USD). It will be split as follows:
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€700,000 for the Open section (shared equally between Rapid and Blitz)
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€300,000 for the Women’s section (also split equally)
This shows FIDE’s strong commitment to high-level chess and equal recognition for both formats.
New Knockout Format for Blitz
Blitz chess just got more thrilling!
In 2024, FIDE introduced a knockout format in Blitz — and it was a big hit. For 2025, they’re taking it further:
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Only the top 4 players from the Swiss rounds will move on to the knockout semifinals
(Earlier, it used to be the top 8) -
The knockout stage will be more intense and competitive
FIDE CEO and Grandmaster Emil Sutovsky said the mix of Swiss and knockout makes the format exciting and fair. “The new format ensures the strongest players reach the finals,” he said.
The Blitz event schedule:
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Open: 19 Swiss rounds over 2 days
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Women: 15 Swiss rounds over 2 days
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Semifinals and Finals: Held on December 30
Rapid Format Remains the Same
While Blitz changes, the Rapid format stays the same:
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Open: 13 rounds
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Women: 11 rounds
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Playoff if there’s a tie for first place
FIDE’s Vision for the Future
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said that these changes are about making the championships more dynamic and exciting. Rapid and Blitz chess are more popular than ever, and this format aims to match that energy.
With big names, bigger prizes, and bold changes — the 2025 World Rapid & Blitz Championships are set to be a global chess highlight!
Official Regulations:
Photos: FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
