FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships Begin Today in Doha

The 2025 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships have started in Doha, Qatar , running from December 25 to 30 at the Sports and Events Complex, Qatar University. The year-end event reunites the globe’s elite in fast-paced chess with four world titles on the line Open Rapid, Open Blitz, Women’s Rapid, and Women’s Blitz and prize funds exceeding €1 million across categories.

Over 360 players are confirmed, with reigning World Champion Gukesh D and former multi-title holder Magnus Carlsen among the top contenders. Carlsen returns amid a resolution with FIDE over past disputes, bringing added fan interest. Other elite grandmasters include Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wesley So, Anish Giri, Levon Aronian, and rising stars like Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Praggnanandhaa R . The women’s field is equally strong, featuring World Champion Ju Wenjun , Koneru Humpy , Zhu Jiner , Lei Tingjie , and Aleksandra Goryachkina .

The Rapid events use a Swiss-system format 13 rounds in the Open and 11 in the Women’s with 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. The Blitz consists of 19 and 15 rounds in Open and Women’s respectively, with top performers advancing to knockout semifinals.

Doha, which last hosted the championships in 2016 , becomes the only city to host the event twice , highlighting Qatar’s growing role in elite chess. Spectators can attend live matches with tickets available for fans at the venue.