2025 In Chess
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Major chess events in 2025 include the annual
Tata Steel Chess Tournament The Tata Steel Chess Tournament is an annual chess tournament held in January in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. It was called the Hoogovens Tournament from its creation in 1938 until the sponsor Koninklijke Hoogovens merged with British Ste ...
,
Norway Chess Norway Chess is an annual closed chess tournament, typically taking place in the May to June time period every year. The first edition took place in the Stavanger area, Norway, from 7 May to 18 May 2013. The 2013 tournament had ten participants, in ...
and
Grand Chess Tour The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is a circuit of chess tournaments in which players compete for multiple prize pools. The tournaments, which vary from year to year, have included Norway Chess, the Sinquefield Cup, and the London Chess Classic. Histo ...
.
Ju Wenjun Ju Wenjun (; born 31 January 1991) is a Chinese chess grandmaster. She is the reigning five-time Women's World Champion, the reigning Women's World Blitz Chess Champion, and a two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion. In March 2017, she be ...
defended her title against challenger
Tan Zhongyi Tan Zhongyi (; born 29 May 1991) is a Chinese chess player who holds the title of grandmaster (GM). She is a former Women's World Champion, winning the 2017 knockout edition of the world championship in Iran where she defeated Anna Muzychuk i ...
in the
Women's World Chess Championship 2025 The Women's World Chess Championship 2025 was a match between Ju Wenjun, the current champion, and Tan Zhongyi, the winner of the Women's Candidates Tournament 2024. This was the third time the two players have met in a world chess championship: ...
. The
FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament The FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament is a Swiss-system chess tournament, forming part of the qualification for the World Chess Championship. Editions and winners The players who qualified for the Candidates Tournament are marked with a green backgroun ...
in
Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
in September will determine two qualifiers for the Candidates Tournament 2026, while the
Chess World Cup The FIDE World Cup is a major chess event organized by FIDE, the international governing body. History Three different formats have been used: *In 2000 and 2002, it was a multi-stage tournament, with a group stage consisting of 24 players in fo ...
in
New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
in November will determine three qualifiers. The 2025 FIDE Circuit, comprising top tournaments in 2025, will determine one qualifier. The annual World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships will take place in
Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...
in December. __TOC__


Timeline


January

* Jan 4 – World number one
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
married Ella Victoria Malone in a ceremony in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. * Jan 8 –
Vladimir Fedoseev Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev (; born 16 February 1995) is a Russian chess grandmaster playing for Slovenia. He is the reigning European champion in Rapid chess and Chess960. He competed in the Chess World Cup in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2023. Ca ...
won the Freestyle Chess play-in to qualify for the Weissenhaus Grand Slam, the first leg of the
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is a series of Chess960 tournaments in 2025 organized by Freestyle Chess Operations. It will consist of five "Grand Slam" tournaments following a format similar to the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, held i ...
. * Jan 11 – 9-year-old
Roman Shogdzhiev Roman Savrovich Shogdzhiev (; born 4 February 2015) is a Russian chess player. A chess prodigy, he became the youngest International Master in history in May 2025, at the age of 10 years, 3 months, and 21 days. Chess career In November 2022, Sh ...
became the youngest player to score an International Master
norm Norm, the Norm or NORM may refer to: In academic disciplines * Normativity, phenomenon of designating things as good or bad * Norm (geology), an estimate of the idealised mineral content of a rock * Norm (philosophy), a standard in normative e ...
. * Jan 11 –
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
made his debut for
FC St. Pauli Fußball-Club St. Pauli von 1910 e.V., commonly known as simply FC St. Pauli (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg. The team plays in the Bundesliga from the 2024–25 Bundesli ...
in the
Chess Bundesliga The term Chess Bundesliga () normally refers to the premier league of team chess in Germany established in 1980. It is arguably the strongest league of its kind and attracts many high-rated grandmasters. Austria also has a Bundesliga for chess, u ...
, where he played for the first time since 2008, scoring 1½/2. * Jan 17 – The
President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
,
Droupadi Murmu Droupadi Murmu (born Durgi Biranchi Tudu; 20 June 1958) is an Indian politician who has been serving as the president of India since 2022. She won the 2022 Indian presidential election, 2022 presidential election as the Bharatiya Janata Party ...
conferred the
Khel Ratna Award The Khel Ratna Award (; Sport Jewel Award), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of ...
on World Champion
Gukesh Dommaraju Gukesh Dommaraju (born 29 May 2006) is an Indian chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion, the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, doing s ...
. * Jan 24 – The FIDE Council decided to allow the participation of teams consisting of neutral athletes, particularly Russian and Belarusian athletes, in youth competitions and events for players with disabilities. * Jan 27 – In a decision by the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, Andrejs Strebkovs' ban from all FIDE-rated events was extended to 12 years, and his
FIDE title FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...
of
International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...
was revoked.


February

* Feb 2 –
R Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 10 August 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa placed second in the 2023 Chess World Cup, and is the only Indian to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament after Viswanathan Anand. H ...
defeated
Gukesh Dommaraju Gukesh Dommaraju (born 29 May 2006) is an Indian chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion, the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, doing s ...
2–1 in a
blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, several ships of the Prussian, Imperia ...
playoff to win the Tata Steel Masters, after both players finished on 8½/13. Gukesh lost his first game as world champion in the final round against
Arjun Erigaisi Arjun Kumar Erigaisi (born 3 September 2003) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 14 years, 11 months, 13 days. In September 2024 he became India's top rated player, and in December 2 ...
. Thai Dai Van Nguyen won the Challengers and qualified for the 2026 Masters. * Feb 10 – FIDE announced that the
Women's World Chess Championship 2025 The Women's World Chess Championship 2025 was a match between Ju Wenjun, the current champion, and Tan Zhongyi, the winner of the Women's Candidates Tournament 2024. This was the third time the two players have met in a world chess championship: ...
between
Ju Wenjun Ju Wenjun (; born 31 January 1991) is a Chinese chess grandmaster. She is the reigning five-time Women's World Champion, the reigning Women's World Blitz Chess Champion, and a two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion. In March 2017, she be ...
and
Tan Zhongyi Tan Zhongyi (; born 29 May 1991) is a Chinese chess player who holds the title of grandmaster (GM). She is a former Women's World Champion, winning the 2017 knockout edition of the world championship in Iran where she defeated Anna Muzychuk i ...
would take place in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
and
Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...
from April 1 to 23. * Feb 14 –
Vincent Keymer Vincent Keymer (born 15 November 2004) is a German chess grandmaster. He was the No.1 in the FIDE World Chess Ratings for Juniors in January 2024. Chess career Vincent Keymer was born in Mainz, Germany, a city that has a long history of hostin ...
won the first leg of the
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is a series of Chess960 tournaments in 2025 organized by Freestyle Chess Operations. It will consist of five "Grand Slam" tournaments following a format similar to the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, held i ...
after defeating
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
in the semifinals and
Fabiano Caruana Fabiano Luigi Caruana (born July 30, 1992) is an Italian and American chess grandmaster who is the reigning four-time United States Chess Champion. With a peak rating of 2844, Caruana is the third-highest-rated player in history. Born in Mia ...
in the finals. * Feb 21 – Magnus Carlsen won the Chessable Masters, the first leg of the
Champions Chess Tour 2025 The Champions Chess Tour (CCT) 2025 was a fast chess tournament circuit organized in 2025 by Chess.com. The regular tour started on 26 January 2025 and ended on 23 May 2025. It involved two online chess tournaments, featuring some of the world's to ...
. The top three – Carlsen,
Hikaru Nakamura Christopher Hikaru NakamuraIan Nepomniachtchi Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi ( rus, Ян Алекса́ндрович Непо́мнящий, r=Yan Aleksandrovich Nepomnyashchiy, p=ˈjan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈpomnʲɪɕːɪj, a=Ru-Ian Alexandrovich Nepomnyashchij.ogg; born 14 J ...
, qualified for the
2025 Esports World Cup The 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) will be the second edition of the Esports World Cup, an annual international esports tournament series run by the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), a nonprofit organization funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Inves ...
. * Feb 27 –
Aleksandra Goryachkina Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (; born 28 September 1998) is a Russian chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster (GM). She is the No. 4 ranked woman in the world by FIDE rating and is also the fourth-highest rated wo ...
won the third leg of the
FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024–25 The 2024–2025 edition of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix was a series of six chess tournaments exclusively for women which determined two players to play in the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026. The winner of the Candidates Tournament would play ...
on tiebreaks, ahead of
Koneru Humpy Koneru Humpy (born 31 March 1987) is an Indian chess grandmaster. Humpy is a runner-up of the Women's World Chess Championship and the reigning two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion. In 2002, she became the youngest female player--and ...
and
Batkhuyag Munguntuul Batkhuyag Munguntuul (; born 8 October 1987) is a Mongolian chess player who holds the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She competed in the Women's World Chess Championship in 2008 and 2010. Munguntuul took ...
, who all scored 5½/9. Goryachkina took the lead in the Grand Prix standings.


March

* Mar 6 –
Ian Nepomniachtchi Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi ( rus, Ян Алекса́ндрович Непо́мнящий, r=Yan Aleksandrovich Nepomnyashchiy, p=ˈjan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈpomnʲɪɕːɪj, a=Ru-Ian Alexandrovich Nepomnyashchij.ogg; born 14 J ...
won the
Aeroflot Open The Aeroflot Open is an annual open chess tournament organised through the joint efforts of the Chess Federation of Russia and the Russian Ministry of Sport with the sponsorship from the Russian flag carrier, Aeroflot. It is played in Moscow, ho ...
for the fourth time, ahead of
Richárd Rapport Richárd Rapport (born 25 March 1996) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he earned his grandmaster title at the age of 13 years, 11 months, and six days, making him Hungary's youngest ever grandmaster. He was the Hungarian Che ...
and
Andrey Esipenko Andrey Evgenyevich Esipenko (; born 22 March 2002) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. He won the European Youth Chess Championship, European U10 Chess Championship in 2012, and both the European Youth Chess Championship, Europea ...
. * Mar 7 –
Aravindh Chithambaram Aravindh Chithambaram Veerappan (born 11 September 1999) is an Indian chess grandmaster. He won the Indian chess championships twice, in 2018 and 2019. Personal life Aravindh Chithambaram Veerappan was born on 11 September 1999 in Thirunaga ...
won the
Prague Chess Festival The Prague International Chess Festival, abbreviated as PICF, is an annual chess tournament that takes place in Prague, Czech Republic, since 2019. It consists of several separate groups including Masters, Challengers, and Futures (organized und ...
Masters, going undefeated with three wins and six draws.
Nodirbek Yakubboev Nodirbek Yakubboev (; born 23 January 2002) is an Uzbek chess grandmaster. Career He has won the Uzbekistani Chess Championship three times; in 2016, 2018 and 2020. He came second in the Zone 3.4 Zonal Open Championship in 2021, qualifying for ...
won the Challengers after defeating
Jonas Buhl Bjerre Jonas Buhl Bjerre (born 26 June 2004) is a Danish chess grandmaster. Biography In 2015, Jonas Buhl Bjerre won the Nordic Youth Chess Championship in the group E (for players born in 2004 and 2005). The next year he won the group D. Bjerre won a ...
1½-½ in a playoff. * Mar 7 –
Pranav V Pranav Venkatesh (born 13 October 2006), also known as Buddy Pranav, is an Indian chess grandmaster and the 2025 World Junior Chess Champion. Chess career Pranav began playing chess at the age of 6, and had several coaches including Viswesw ...
and Anna Shukhman became the
World Junior Chess Champions The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...
. * Mar 8 –
Daniil Dubov Daniil Dmitrievich Dubov (; born 18 April 1996) is a Russian chess grandmaster. He achieved his final norm for the Grandmaster title at the age of 14 years, 11 months, 14 days in 2011. Dubov won the 2018 World Rapid Chess Championship held in S ...
played an
exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...
blitz match against
Hans Niemann Hans Moke Niemann (born June 20, 2003) is an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and Twitch (service), Twitch streamer. He first entered the top 100 junior players list on March 1, 2019, and became a FIDE grandmaster on January 22, 20 ...
in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, winning 9½-8½. * Mar 15 –
Vidit Gujrathi Vidit Gujrathi (born 24 October 1994) is an Indian chess grandmaster. Gujrathi attained the title of grandmaster in January 2013, becoming the 30th player from India to do so. He is the fourth Indian player to have crossed the Elo rating of 27 ...
won the Freestyle Chess play-in to qualify for the Paris Grand Slam, the second leg of the
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is a series of Chess960 tournaments in 2025 organized by Freestyle Chess Operations. It will consist of five "Grand Slam" tournaments following a format similar to the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, held i ...
. * Mar 23 –
Hikaru Nakamura Christopher Hikaru NakamuraAmerican Cup The American Football Association Challenge Cup (also known as the American Association Cup or simply American Cup) was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1884, and organised by t ...
, after beating
Fabiano Caruana Fabiano Luigi Caruana (born July 30, 1992) is an Italian and American chess grandmaster who is the reigning four-time United States Chess Champion. With a peak rating of 2844, Caruana is the third-highest-rated player in history. Born in Mia ...
in the grand final. It was the second time he won the event, after first winning it in 2023. He also won the blitz tournament held the following day. * Mar 24 –
Anna Muzychuk Anna Olehivna Muzychuk (; ; born 28 February 1990) is a Ukrainian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster (GM). She is the fourth woman in chess history to attain a FIDE rating of at least 2600. She has been ranked as high as No. 197 in the wo ...
won the fourth leg of the
FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024–25 The 2024–2025 edition of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix was a series of six chess tournaments exclusively for women which determined two players to play in the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026. The winner of the Candidates Tournament would play ...
, edging out
Zhu Jiner Zhu Jiner (; born 16 November 2002) is a Chinese chess player and Grandmaster (2023). Biography In 2016, she won the World Youth Chess Championship in the G14 age category. In 2017, she was third in the Asian Zone 3.5 after Zhai Mo and Ni Shi ...
on tiebreaks. * Mar 26 – The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission sanctioned Kirill Shevchenko with a worldwide ban of three years, with one year of the sanction suspended, after finding him guilty of breaching Article 11.7(e) of the Disciplinary Code by attempting to
cheat Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert or disobey rules in order to obtain unfair advantages without being noticed. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given pr ...
using an electronic device in the Spanish Team Championship. * Mar 27 –
Matthias Blübaum Matthias Blübaum (born 18 April 1997) is a German chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster. He won the European Individual Chess Championship in 2022 and in 2025. Blübaum began playing chess at the age of six and emerged as part of the ''Prinze ...
won the
European Individual Chess Championship The European Individual Chess Championship is a chess tournament organised by the European Chess Union. It was established in 2000 and has since then taken place on a yearly basis. Apart from determining the European champions (open and women's) ...
, becoming the first player to win it twice. Frederik Svane and
Maxim Rodshtein Maxim Rodshtein (, ; born 19 January 1989) is an Israeli chess grandmaster. He competed in the FIDE World Cup in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2017. Career Rodshtein was twice silver medallist in the European Youth Chess Championships: in the Under 10 s ...
finished on the same score as Blübaum, but came second and third on tiebreaks, respectively.


April

* Apr 2 –
Vidit Gujrathi Vidit Gujrathi (born 24 October 1994) is an Indian chess grandmaster. Gujrathi attained the title of grandmaster in January 2013, becoming the 30th player from India to do so. He is the fourth Indian player to have crossed the Elo rating of 27 ...
married Nidhi Kataria in a wedding held at the Oxford Golf Resort in
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
. It was attended by World Champion
Gukesh Dommaraju Gukesh Dommaraju (born 29 May 2006) is an Indian chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion, the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, doing s ...
, five-time World Champion
Viswanathan Anand Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (born 11 December 1969) is an Indian chess grandmaster. Anand is a five-time World Chess Champion, a two-time World Rapid Chess Champion, a two-time Chess World Cup Champion and a World Blitz Chess Cup Champion. ...
,
Arjun Erigaisi Arjun Kumar Erigaisi (born 3 September 2003) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 14 years, 11 months, 13 days. In September 2024 he became India's top rated player, and in December 2 ...
and
Anish Giri Anish Kumar Giri (; ; born 28 June 1994) is a Dutch chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves no hidden information and no elements of chance. It is played on ...
, among others. * Apr 14 –
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
won the
second leg In sports (especially association football), a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or "legs", with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of ...
of the
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is a series of Chess960 tournaments in 2025 organized by Freestyle Chess Operations. It will consist of five "Grand Slam" tournaments following a format similar to the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, held i ...
after defeating
Fabiano Caruana Fabiano Luigi Caruana (born July 30, 1992) is an Italian and American chess grandmaster who is the reigning four-time United States Chess Champion. With a peak rating of 2844, Caruana is the third-highest-rated player in history. Born in Mia ...
in the semifinals, and
Hikaru Nakamura Christopher Hikaru NakamuraJu Wenjun Ju Wenjun (; born 31 January 1991) is a Chinese chess grandmaster. She is the reigning five-time Women's World Champion, the reigning Women's World Blitz Chess Champion, and a two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion. In March 2017, she be ...
defeated
Tan Zhongyi Tan Zhongyi (; born 29 May 1991) is a Chinese chess player who holds the title of grandmaster (GM). She is a former Women's World Champion, winning the 2017 knockout edition of the world championship in Iran where she defeated Anna Muzychuk i ...
by a score of 6½-2½ to win the
Women's World Chess Championship 2025 The Women's World Chess Championship 2025 was a match between Ju Wenjun, the current champion, and Tan Zhongyi, the winner of the Women's Candidates Tournament 2024. This was the third time the two players have met in a world chess championship: ...
, retaining her title and becoming world champion for the fifth time. * Apr 21 –
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
scored a perfect 9/9 in the inaugural Grenke Freestyle Open and won the tournament. Aswath S tied with
Brandon Jacobson Brandon Jacobson (born November 14, 2003) is an American chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster in 2020 at the age of 16. He previously held the International Master (2018) and FIDE Master (2017) titles. He is ranked the 36th b ...
with 8/9 in Classical Open but won on tiebreaks. * Apr 23 –
Koneru Humpy Koneru Humpy (born 31 March 1987) is an Indian chess grandmaster. Humpy is a runner-up of the Women's World Chess Championship and the reigning two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion. In 2002, she became the youngest female player--and ...
won the fifth leg of the
FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024–25 The 2024–2025 edition of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix was a series of six chess tournaments exclusively for women which determined two players to play in the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026. The winner of the Candidates Tournament would play ...
on tiebreaks, ahead of
Zhu Jiner Zhu Jiner (; born 16 November 2002) is a Chinese chess player and Grandmaster (2023). Biography In 2016, she won the World Youth Chess Championship in the G14 age category. In 2017, she was third in the Asian Zone 3.5 after Zhai Mo and Ni Shi ...
. * Apr 27 –
Vasily Ivanchuk Vasyl Mykhailovych Ivanchuk (; born March 18, 1969) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1988. A leading chess player since 1988, Ivanchuk has been ranked at No. 2 on the FIDE world rankings thr ...
won the 4th Menorca Open with 8/9. * Apr 30 –
Vladimir Fedoseev Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev (; born 16 February 1995) is a Russian chess grandmaster playing for Slovenia. He is the reigning European champion in Rapid chess and Chess960. He competed in the Chess World Cup in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2023. Ca ...
won the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland with three rounds to spare, scoring 26½/36.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (; born 21 October 1990), often referred to by his initials, MVL, is a French Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster who is a former World Blitz Chess Championship, World Blitz Champion. With a peak Elo rating system, ra ...
finished second with 21½/36, while
R Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 10 August 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa placed second in the 2023 Chess World Cup, and is the only Indian to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament after Viswanathan Anand. H ...
finished third with 20½/36.


May

* May 3 –
Christopher Yoo Christopher S. Yoo is the John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and the founding director of the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Competition. ...
won the Sardinia Chess Festival with a score of 7.5/9. * May 6 –
Aleksandar Inđić Aleksandar Inđić (born 24 August 1995) is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He is a four-time Serbian Chess Champion and the 2024 European Chess Champion. Chess career Born in 1995, Inđić earned his international master title in 2012 and his ...
won the Baku Open 2025 with a score of 7/9. * May 9 –
Christopher Yoo Christopher S. Yoo is the John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and the founding director of the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Competition. ...
was slapped with a 60-day provisional suspension (9 May – July 8) after multiple harassment complaints, previously under USCF domestic ban since November 14, 2024. * May 15 –
Bardiya Daneshvar Bardiya Daneshvar (; born June 21, 2006) is an Iranian chess grandmaster. Chess career In June 2022, Daneshvar was the winner of the Iranian Men's Final Chess Championship, ahead of top seed Seyed Khalil Mousavi. In October 2022, Daneshvar rep ...
won the
Asian Chess Championship The Asian Chess Championship is a chess tournament open to all players from Asian chess federations (FIDE zones from 3.1 to 3.8). It is held with the Swiss system and consists of two divisions, Open and Women's, the latter of which is reserved to ...
which was his maiden title. He had tied with
Nihal Sarin Nihal Sarin (born 13 July 2004) is an Indian chess grandmaster and chess prodigy. In 2018, he passed the Elo rating of 2600 at 14 years old, which at the time made him the third youngest player in history to do so. As a junior player, Nihal ...
by 7/9 but won by tiebreaks. The defending champion Shamsiddin Vokhidov finished third with 6.5/9. Song Yuxin won in the women's section. * May 16 – There was a three-way tie for first between
R Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 10 August 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa placed second in the 2023 Chess World Cup, and is the only Indian to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament after Viswanathan Anand. H ...
,
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (; born 21 October 1990), often referred to by his initials, MVL, is a French Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster who is a former World Blitz Chess Championship, World Blitz Champion. With a peak Elo rating system, ra ...
and
Alireza Firouzja Alireza Firouzja (, ; born 18 June 2003) is an Iranian and French Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Firouzja is the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE Elo rating system, rating of 2800, beating the previous record set by Magnus Carls ...
in the Superbet Chess Classic on 5½/9. Praggnanandhaa won the blitz playoff to win the tournament. * May 16 –
Anna Muzychuk Anna Olehivna Muzychuk (; ; born 28 February 1990) is a Ukrainian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster (GM). She is the fourth woman in chess history to attain a FIDE rating of at least 2600. She has been ranked as high as No. 197 in the wo ...
won the final leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 on tiebreaks, ahead of
Zhu Jiner Zhu Jiner (; born 16 November 2002) is a Chinese chess player and Grandmaster (2023). Biography In 2016, she won the World Youth Chess Championship in the G14 age category. In 2017, she was third in the Asian Zone 3.5 after Zhai Mo and Ni Shi ...
. Thus
Zhu Jiner Zhu Jiner (; born 16 November 2002) is a Chinese chess player and Grandmaster (2023). Biography In 2016, she won the World Youth Chess Championship in the G14 age category. In 2017, she was third in the Asian Zone 3.5 after Zhai Mo and Ni Shi ...
and
Aleksandra Goryachkina Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (; born 28 September 1998) is a Russian chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster (GM). She is the No. 4 ranked woman in the world by FIDE rating and is also the fourth-highest rated wo ...
who finished as winner and runner-up of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 both qualified for
Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 The Women's World Chess Championship 2026 is an upcoming chess Glossary of chess#match, match which will determine the new Women's World Chess Champion. It will be played between the defending champion Ju Wenjun, the winner of the Women's World Ch ...
. * May 23 –
Vincent Keymer Vincent Keymer (born 15 November 2004) is a German chess grandmaster. He was the No.1 in the FIDE World Chess Ratings for Juniors in January 2024. Chess career Vincent Keymer was born in Mainz, Germany, a city that has a long history of hostin ...
won his maiden
German Chess Championship The German Chess Championship has been played since 1861, and determines the national champion. Prior to 1880, three different federations organized chess activities in Germany: the ''Westdeutscher Schachbund'' (WDSB), the ''Norddeutscher Schachbun ...
, held in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. * May 25 –
Anish Giri Anish Kumar Giri (; ; born 28 June 1994) is a Dutch chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves no hidden information and no elements of chance. It is played on ...
won the Sharjah Masters ahead of
Aleksandar Indjic Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...
and
Nodirbek Abdusattorov Nodirbek Abdusattorov (; born 18 September 2004) is an Uzbek chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he qualified for the grandmaster title at the age of 13 years, 1 month, and 11 days. FIDE awarded him the title in April 2018. He is Uzbekistan's h ...
. * May 26 –
Javokhir Sindarov Javokhir Sindarov (; born 8 December 2005)TePe Sigeman & Co chess tournament The TePe Sigeman & Co chess tournament is an annual chess tournament in Malmö, Sweden organised by Limhamns SK Chess Club and sponsored by law firm Sigeman & Co. The tournament was known as the Sigeman & Co chess tournament from 1993 to 2014. It ...
ahead of Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and
Nils Grandelius Nils Axel Grandelius (born 3 June 1993) is a Swedish chess grandmaster. He is the top ranked player of Sweden. Chess career FIDE awarded him the titles FIDE Master, in 2007, International Master, in 2008, and Grandmaster in 2010. In 2008, Gra ...
. * May 31 –
Sam Shankland Samuel L. Shankland (born October 1, 1991) is an American chess grandmaster. He won the U.S. Chess Championship in 2018. Shankland was California State Champion in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012, and Champion of State Champions in 2009. He won bron ...
won the American Continental Championship for third time in his career. José Martínez and
Alexandr Fier Alexandr Hilário Takeda Sakai dos Santos Fier (born 11 March 1988) is a Brazilian chess grandmaster. He competed in the FIDE World Cup in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2023. Career Fier won five gold medals at the Pan American Youth Chess F ...
finished second and third place respectively.


June

* Jun 1 – World Champion
Gukesh Dommaraju Gukesh Dommaraju (born 29 May 2006) is an Indian chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion, the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, doing s ...
defeated world number one and former world champion
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
for the first time in a classical game in the sixth round of
Norway Chess Norway Chess is an annual closed chess tournament, typically taking place in the May to June time period every year. The first edition took place in the Stavanger area, Norway, from 7 May to 18 May 2013. The 2013 tournament had ten participants, in ...
. * Jun 4 – Aleksey Grebnev won the
Dubai Open The Dubai Open, styled DUBAi Open, was a golf tournament on the Asian Tour. It was played just once, in December 2014 at The Els Club in Dubai Sports City, Dubai, UAE. The purse was US$500,000 with a first prize of $90,000. The event was promoted ...
with a score of 7/9, ahead of Alan Pichot. * Jun 6 –
Aravindh Chithambaram Aravindh Chithambaram Veerappan (born 11 September 1999) is an Indian chess grandmaster. He won the Indian chess championships twice, in 2018 and 2019. Personal life Aravindh Chithambaram Veerappan was born on 11 September 1999 in Thirunaga ...
won the Stepan Avagyan Memorial on tiebreaks ahead of
R Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 10 August 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa placed second in the 2023 Chess World Cup, and is the only Indian to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament after Viswanathan Anand. H ...
and climbed into the world's top ten in live ratings for the first time. * Jun 6 –
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
won
Norway Chess Norway Chess is an annual closed chess tournament, typically taking place in the May to June time period every year. The first edition took place in the Stavanger area, Norway, from 7 May to 18 May 2013. The 2013 tournament had ten participants, in ...
for the seventh time, while
Anna Muzychuk Anna Olehivna Muzychuk (; ; born 28 February 1990) is a Ukrainian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster (GM). She is the fourth woman in chess history to attain a FIDE rating of at least 2600. She has been ranked as high as No. 197 in the wo ...
won the women's event. * Jun 13 – Team MGD1, led by
Arjun Erigaisi Arjun Kumar Erigaisi (born 3 September 2003) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 14 years, 11 months, 13 days. In September 2024 he became India's top rated player, and in December 2 ...
, wins the World Rapid Team Championship. * Jun 15 – WR Chess Team successfully defending their World Blitz Team Championship. * Jun 27 – There was a three-way tie between
R Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 10 August 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa placed second in the 2023 Chess World Cup, and is the only Indian to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament after Viswanathan Anand. H ...
,
Nodirbek Abdusattorov Nodirbek Abdusattorov (; born 18 September 2004) is an Uzbek chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he qualified for the grandmaster title at the age of 13 years, 1 month, and 11 days. FIDE awarded him the title in April 2018. He is Uzbekistan's h ...
&
Javokhir Sindarov Javokhir Sindarov (; born 8 December 2005)UzChess Cup Masters on 5½/9. Praggnanandhaa won after two blitz playoffs to win the tournament. Nikolas Theodorou won in the Challengers section with 6½/9. * Jun 30 –
Alexey Sarana Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana (born 26 January 2000) is a Russian chess grandmaster playing for Serbia. He won the European Individual Chess Championship in 2023. His father is Ukrainian and lives near Kyiv. Sarana left Russia in March 2022, stat ...
won the Aktobe Open with a score of 7/9, ahead of Aryan Chopra, Zhamsaran Tsydypov, P. Iniyan,
Murtas Kazhgaleyev Murtas Kazhgaleyev (; born 17 November 1973) is a Kazakhstani chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM) in 1998. Chess career In 2004, he tied for first with Slim Belkhodja in the 27th Syre Memorial in Issy les Moulineaux. K ...
& Wang Hao.


July

* Jul 1 – FIDE extends the domestic suspension of
Christopher Yoo Christopher S. Yoo is the John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and the founding director of the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Competition. ...
to take effect worldwide, banning him from FIDE-rated events until 14 November, following a request by the USCF. Additionally, he has been put on probation until 14 November 2030. * Jul 1 – For the first time since the inception of FIDE rating lists, Russian players were absent from the world's top ten, after
Ian Nepomniachtchi Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi ( rus, Ян Алекса́ндрович Непо́мнящий, r=Yan Aleksandrovich Nepomnyashchiy, p=ˈjan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈpomnʲɪɕːɪj, a=Ru-Ian Alexandrovich Nepomnyashchij.ogg; born 14 J ...
dropped to number 14. On the other hand,
Anish Giri Anish Kumar Giri (; ; born 28 June 1994) is a Dutch chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves no hidden information and no elements of chance. It is played on ...
returned to the top ten after over a year. * Jul 6 –
Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...
won the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia with a score of 22½/36.
Wesley So Wesley Barbossa So (born October 9, 1993) is a Filipino and American chess grandmaster, a three-time U.S. Chess Champion, and the first World Fischer Random Chess Champion. He is also a three-time Philippine Chess Champion. On the March 201 ...
finished second with 20/36, while
Gukesh Dommaraju Gukesh Dommaraju (born 29 May 2006) is an Indian chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion, the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, doing s ...
finished third with 19½/36.


Events


Major tournaments


Opens


Rapid & Blitz events


Women's events


National events


Deaths

* 5 January —
Robert Hübner Robert Hübner (6 November 1948 – 5 January 2025) was a German chess grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist. He was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s. Chess career At eighteen, Hübner was joint winner of t ...
, four-time World Championship candidate * 2 February — Peter Enders, German grandmaster *27 February —
Boris Spassky Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (; January 30, 1937 – February 27, 2025) was a Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost to Tigra ...
, 10th World Chess Champion *4 April —
Friðrik Ólafsson Friðrik Ólafsson (26 January 1935 – 4 April 2025) was an Icelandic chess grandmaster. He was president of FIDE from 1978 to 1982. He was a six-time Icelandic Chess Champion and a two-time Nordic Chess Champion. Chess career Friðrik was ...
, Icelandic grandmaster and President of FIDE (1978–1982) *28 April — Petr Neuman, Czech grandmaster *12 May —
Vlastimil Hort Vlastimil Hort (12 January 1944 – 12 May 2025) was a Czech and German chess grandmaster. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the World Chess Championship 1978, 1977–78 Candidates Tournament for ...
, Czech-German grandmaster *18 June —
Tigran Nalbandian Tigran Vaanovic Nalbandian is an Armenian chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a squa ...
, Armenian grandmaster


Notes


References

{{Reflist 21st century in chess Chess by year 2025 sport-related lists