Chess World Cup
The FIDE World Cup is a major knockout tournament that has been part of the World Championship qualification cycle since 2005. It evolved from earlier formats (2000-2002) and succeeded the Interzonal tournaments as the primary path to the Candidates Tournament.
Multiple World Cup Winners
Format Evolution
2000-2002: Group Stage + Knockout
24 players in 4 groups of 6, top 2 from each advanced to an 8-player knockout bracket. Anand won both editions. Not directly linked to World Championship qualification.
2005-2019: 128-Player Knockout
7 rounds of 2-game mini-matches with rapid/blitz tiebreaks. The primary path to the Candidates Tournament. Khanty-Mansiysk hosted four consecutive editions (2005-2011).
2021-present: 206-Player Knockout
Expanded field with 50 first-round byes. 8 rounds total. The final extended to 4 classical games. Critics note the event is long (26+ days) and fatigue plays a major role.
All Editions
World Cup 2000
Shenyang, ChinaFirst FIDE World Cup. Anand won both this and the 2002 edition.
World Cup 2002
Hyderabad, IndiaAnand defended his title. Kasimdzhanov later won the 2004 FIDE knockout championship.
World Cup 2005
Khanty-Mansiysk, RussiaFirst 128-player knockout format. Qualified 10 players for the 2007 Candidates. Aronian's breakthrough victory.
World Cup 2007
Khanty-Mansiysk, RussiaKamsky's remarkable comeback after years away from chess. Young Carlsen reached the semi-finals at age 16.
World Cup 2009
Khanty-Mansiysk, RussiaGelfand won and later won the 2011 Candidates to challenge for the World Championship.
World Cup 2011
Khanty-Mansiysk, RussiaFourth consecutive World Cup held in Khanty-Mansiysk. Svidler's first major individual title.
World Cup 2013
Tromso, NorwayKramnik won his first World Cup at age 38. First World Cup not held in Khanty-Mansiysk since 2005 format change.
World Cup 2015
Baku, AzerbaijanKarjakin won and later won the 2016 Candidates to challenge Carlsen for the World Championship.
World Cup 2017
Tbilisi, GeorgiaAronian won his second World Cup, matching Ponomariov as a two-time finalist. Ding Liren's breakthrough to the elite.
World Cup 2019
Khanty-Mansiysk, RussiaRadjabov won after Ding Liren collapsed in the final. Ding reached his second consecutive World Cup final.
World Cup 2021
Sochi, RussiaDuda ended Karjakin's incredible World Cup run. First expanded 206-player format. Carlsen entered but lost in semi-finals.
World Cup 2023
Baku, AzerbaijanCarlsen finally won his first World Cup. 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa's stunning run to the final. Caruana qualified for Candidates via 3rd place.
World Cup 2025
Goa, IndiaScheduled for October-November 2025.