FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 Payouts: How much did Indian chess players earn in prize money?

Divya Deshmukh was the only woman from India to compete.

The FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 took place at the Resort Rio in North Goa from October 31 to November 25. The top three finishers, Wei Yi, Javokhir Sindarov, and Andrey Esipenko qualified for the FIDE Candidates 2026.

Unfortunately, none of the Indian players made it to the top four best performers in the competition. A total of 25 players from the country took part in the World Cup, but none of them could be potent enough with their performances.

World No. 6 Arjun Erigaisi carried the hopes of the country until the quarter-final stage, before losing to Wei Yi 1.5-2.5 in the first set of tiebreak games.

Also Read: FIDE World Cup 2025: Javokhir Sindarov beats Wei Yi to become youngest-ever champion

Meanwhile, world champion D Gukesh sustained a major setback in the third round. Germany’s Frederik Svane defeated him 1.5 – 0.5. Meanwhile, R. Praggnanandhaa lost 1.5-2.5 in the fourth round against Russia’s Daniil Dubov.

Pentala Harikrishna failed to reach the top eight after a 2.5-1.5 loss against Mexico’s José Martínez Alcántara in the fifth round. Meanwhile, Pranav V lost 0.5-1.5 to Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev in the fourth round.

Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh was the only woman competing among the candidates in the showpiece event. However, she was knocked out in the first round by compatriot Nihal Sarin, who lost in his subsequent round.

Another notable chess star, Vidit Gujrathi sustained a 2.5-3.5 loss against USA’s Samuel Shankland. Pranesh Munirethinam, Karthik Venkataraman and Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan did fine to reach the third round, but could not hold their nerves in crunch times.

Prize money earned by Indian chess players at FIDE Chess World Cup 2025

A total amount of US$2,000,000 was dedicated as the prize fund for candidates at the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025. Here is how the prize money was split among players.

• Winner: $120,000
• Runner-up: $85,000
• 3rd Place: $60,000
• 4th Place: $50,000
• Eliminated in Round 6 (Quarterfinals): $35,000 each
• Eliminated in Round 5: $25,000 each
• Eliminated in Round 4: $17,000 each
• Eliminated in Round 3: $11,000 each
• Eliminated in Round 2: $7,000 each
• Eliminated in Round 1: $3,500 each

Also Read: Which players earned spots to Candidates 2026 through FIDE Chess World Cup?

Let’s take a look at the prize money earned by Indian players as per their performances in the tournament.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram

​

​