FIDE Chess World Cup trophy named after India great Viswanathan Anand

In a major development, the new trophy of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 has been renamed after Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand. It will be called the Viswanathan Anand, honouring the contributions that the five-time world champion has made to chess. 

It is worth noting that the trophy was unveiled in a grand ceremony attended by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich in Panjim, Goa.

Furthermore, it was All India Chess Federation (AICF) President Nitin Narang who announced the change and made it official that the trophy will be named after Anand. 

"Extremely proud and delighted to announce the Viswanathan Anand Cup, the FIDE World Cup (Open) Winner's Running Trophy, instituted in honour of the King of Chess and India's first Grandmaster, Shri Viswanathan Anand," Narang



tweeted. 

“This running trophy stands as an emblem of the great strides of Indian chess and the remarkable achievements and legacy of @vishy64theking, destined to be cherished and extolled for centuries and passing through generations of chess prodigies,” the tweet added.

It is interesting to note that the FIDE Chess World Cup is slated to be an exciting affair. The likes of D Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa, and many others will be competing in the tournament, hoping to give it their best shot. However, it is worth noting that the likes of Magnus Carlsen and Nakamura will not be competing in the event, as they made the decision to skip the tournament. 

World Women's Chess Cup title-holder Divya Deshmukh conducted the draw for the lots of the tournament. A total of 206 players from 80 countries will be competing across eight knockout rounds of classical games.