The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is marking its 10th anniversary in 2025, promising another year of thrilling chess competitions featuring the world’s best players. This year’s tour, starting in April, boasts a total prize pool of $1.6 million and will see the return of the GCT Finals, set to take place in São Paulo, Brazil, for the first time in South America.
According to chess legend Garry Kasparov, the 10th anniversary highlights a decade of top-tier chess, showcasing the skills, strategy, and mental fortitude of the strongest players. He emphasized that the 2025 player lineup is exceptionally competitive, confirming the tour’s status as a premier event in the chess world. Kasparov also acknowledged the crucial support from the Saint Louis Chess Club and the Superbet Foundation, whose commitment has been vital in elevating chess globally.
The participants for the full 2025 Grand Chess Tour are:
| Player Name | Country | FIDE Rating | URS Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM Gukesh Dommaraju | IND | 2777 | 2744 |
| GM Alireza Firouzja | FRA | 2760 | 2789 |
| GM Fabiano Caruana | USA | 2803 | 2807 |
| GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | FRA | 2729 | 2761 |
| GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov | UZB | 2766 | 2780 |
| GM Wesley So | USA | 2747 | 2772 |
| GM Praggnanandha Ramesh Babu | IND | 2741 | 2749 |
| GM Levon Aronian | USA | 2745 | 2762 |
| GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda | POL | 2739 | 2768 |
World champion Gukesh Dommaraju | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Nine players have received invitations to participate in the entire 2025 GCT season. The top three finishers from the 2024 tour automatically qualified, while the remaining spots were filled based on factors like URS and FIDE ratings, competitive spirit, and sportsmanship.
Full tour players will compete in both classical chess events and two out of the three rapid and blitz tournaments. Wildcard entries for the rapid and blitz events in Warsaw, Zagreb, and Saint Louis will be announced later.
The total prize money for the 2025 tour has been increased to $1.6 million. Each classical tournament will have a $350,000 prize fund, and each rapid and blitz event will offer $175,000. The top four players from the regular season, consisting of five tournaments, will then compete for an additional $350,000 in knockout matches at the GCT Finals.
Alireza Firouzja won the 2024 edition of the GCT | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The prize fund is supported by the main sponsors of the 2025 GCT, the Superbet Foundation and The Saint Louis Chess Club, both non-profit organizations dedicated to chess education and expanding the game’s global reach.
Augusta Dragic, President of the Superbet Foundation, stated their pride in supporting the Grand Chess Tour, reinforcing their dedication to promoting chess worldwide. She highlighted chess as a game that embodies strategy, discipline, and resilience. With over 20 million viewers in the previous year, they aim to further inspire and broaden chess accessibility, demonstrating its unifying power.
Tony Rich, Technical Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club, noted Saint Louis’s position as a global chess center and expressed pride in hosting two GCT legs. He acknowledged the significant impact of the tour on both elite chess and the wider chess community, looking forward to hosting top players and inspiring future chess enthusiasts.
This year, former US Champion GM Alex Onischuk joins the GCT as Deputy Executive Director, focusing on expanding the tour’s outreach. He will work alongside Chief Arbiter Chris Bird and Deputy Chief Arbiter Ignatius Leong.
Michael Khodarkovsky, Executive Director of the GCT, mentioned the continuous evolution of the tour and welcomed Alex Onischuk, emphasizing his role in enhancing the tour’s global presence, benefiting both players and fans. He also highlighted the return of the GCT Finals in São Paulo, Brazil, as a historic step, bringing world-class chess to new audiences.
The 2025 tour includes six tournaments:
- Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland: April 24-May 1, 2025 in Warsaw, Poland
- Superbet Chess Classic Romania: May 5-17, 2025 in Bucharest, Romania
- SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia: June 30-July 7, 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia
- Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: August 9-16 in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Sinquefield Cup: August 16-29, 2025 in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- GCT Finals: September 26-October 4, 2025 in São Paulo, Brazil
