Goryachkina will play in the open section of FIDE Grand Swiss 2025
The FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 is taking place September 3 – September 16 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It will be an 11-round Swiss-system tournament and forms part of the qualification cycle for the World Chess Championship 2026. The winner and runner-up of the tournament will earn the right to play in the Candidates Tournament 2026.
FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 is in the Top Chess Events Calendar for the year 2025 and also in the Asia Chess Calendar. For a complete list of events visit the main page of The Chess Calendar
Participants lists are still being finalized. While we know a long list of players who have not qualified for the Grand Swiss, the list of players to participate is equally impressive. And some of the participants have prepared surprises for the chess fans. Just recently, Aleksandra Goryachkina has requested a switch from the women to the open section of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025. The FIDE President Arkadiy Dvorkovich has granted Goryachkina’s wish. Here are the details of the switch
FIDE press release on Goryachkina’s participation
Aleksandra Goryachkina will participate in the Open event of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand, having received a wild card from the FIDE President. Goryachkina is the only top female player who requested to be granted a wild card to the FIDE Grand Swiss instead playing in the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss. This is not Goryachkina’s first appearance in an open event. In 2021, she made history as the first woman to play in the open sections of the Russian Championship Superfinal and the 2021 FIDE Grand Swiss. She has also surpassed the 2600 Elo mark – an achievement reached by only five women in history before her. As a result of Goryachkina’s participation in the FIDE Grand Swiss, an additional wild card has become available in the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss. To reinforce sporting merit, the FIDE President has approved that this wild card will be granted to the highest-performing participant in the FIDE Women’s World Cup who has not yet qualified for the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss. If multiple players reach the same stage of the competition, the invitation will go to the player with the highest rating as of August 1, 2025.