Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Chess World Cup 2025 was pure chaos. 206 players entered. Favorites collapsed. Underdogs rose. And three unexpected challengers earned their golden tickets to the Candidates — the final step before facing World Champion D. Gukesh.
This knockout event shattered every prediction. Super-elite grandmasters were eliminated by hungry 2600-rated fighters, raising a global debate:
Does today’s rating system truly reflect strength, or does it protect the elite?
In this episode, we explore the drama and the deeper story behind it:
♟ Why the World Cup exposed a crack in modern chess
♟ How three surprise Candidates changed the 2025 title race
♟ Viswanathan Anand on building India’s new chess generation
♟ How ChessBase India documented a historic boom — yet saw all 24 Indian players eliminated
What does this mean for the future of competitive chess?
Is the World Cup the fairest battlefield — or the most unforgiving?
The road to the 2025 World Championship begins here — where the glass ceiling finally shattered
The official partner of the World Chess Show is it.com Domains, a provider of innovative domain solutions. As the operator of the .it.com domain registry, it offers a dynamic platform that empowers individuals and businesses to effectively showcase their digital presence, offering domains under the .it.com suffix (for example, yourname.it.com). Visit get.it.com today and create your unique online image.
We would like to express our gratitude to WeWork Berlin for their kind support.
Media Attribution
This video includes images licensed under Creative Commons. Attribution as follows:
Photos:
Wei Yi by Eteri Kublashvili, FIDE,
Sindarov Javokhir by Michal Walusza, FIDE
Esipenko Andrey, Sindarov Javokhir, Wei Yi by Michal Walusza, FIDE
Sindarov Javokhir by Michal Walusza, FIDE
The last round of the Hoogoven chess tournament, co-winner Anand (India) in action, by Rob Bogaerts / Anefo
Viktor Korchnoi & Viswanathan Anand, Hoogovens Chess Tournament 1990 By Fotoburo De Boer
By Fotoburo De Boer - Noord-Hollands Archief, NL-HlmNHA 1478 31803K00 31, CC0,
Image courtesy of The Illustrated Weekly of India.
Volodar Murzin, Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 By Vysotsky - CC BY-SA 4.0,
Magnus Carlsen, by Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ian Nepomniachtchi during Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 (cropped) by Frans Peeters CC BY-SA 2.0
Pranav Venkatesh By Kreymer - CC BY-SA 4.0,
Praggnanandhaa R (cropped) By Frans Peeters CC BY-SA 2.0
Arjun Erigaisi by Frans Peeters, CC BY-SA 2.0
Aryan Chopra by Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rameshbabu Vaishali by Frans Peeters,CC BY-SA 2.0
Divya Deskmukh by Frans Peeters CC BY-SA 2.0
World Cup 2005: Round 7 – Tie-break. Closing Ceremony. Photo Report by FIDE
Videos
Video excerpt courtesy of Chess.com,”TITLED TUESDAY Gameweek 12: Will Magnus Win 5th Title Of The Season?” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=d0mR27dLRU8
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”FIDE World Cup 2025 Closing Ceremony” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=pePJQizkYf4
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”Highlights | Game 1 | Finals | FIDE World Cup 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=WMNb3VZlibU
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”Highlights | Round 4 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=-MZwGUCOmBI
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseIndiachannel,”Hikarus IRL Stream Meetup” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/shorts/JadBsg6I174
Video excerpt courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club,”Fabi Gets His Trophy & Big Check! | D6 #GCTFinals” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=5bdCCwc6Gb8&t=3s
Video excerpt courtesy of CHES - ThanhCong Online,”BERLIN ENDING!! Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen || Clutch Chess 2025 - R9” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=NCpQy4yeco4
Video excerpt courtesy of Freestyle Chess,”"I was suffering from a risk-free position" | Interview w/ Fabiano Caruana | Freestyle Chess Paris” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=1KLnJ1e-trM
Video excerpt courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, “Caruana’s Trophy and BIG Check Presentation! | R9 #SuperbetChessClassic” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=ztvZYWeIR3M
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Chess ♟ | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 | Round 1 | ft. 🇮🇳 Gukesh D, 🇺🇿 Abdusattorov, 🇮🇳 Deshmukh and more” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=WDbn_USY4H4
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Highlights | Round 6 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=Uk_mgOh6_wE
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Highlights | Round 5 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=PlTtBUPkO70
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Highlights | Round 8 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=FMfon25qQSg
The Chess World Cup 2025 was pure chaos. 206 players entered. Favorites collapsed. Underdogs rose. And three unexpected challengers earned their golden tickets to the Candidates — the final step before facing World Champion D. Gukesh.
This knockout event shattered every prediction. Super-elite grandmasters were eliminated by hungry 2600-rated fighters, raising a global debate:
Does today’s rating system truly reflect strength, or does it protect the elite?
In this episode, we explore the drama and the deeper story behind it:
♟ Why the World Cup exposed a crack in modern chess
♟ How three surprise Candidates changed the 2025 title race
♟ Viswanathan Anand on building India’s new chess generation
♟ How ChessBase India documented a historic boom — yet saw all 24 Indian players eliminated
What does this mean for the future of competitive chess?
Is the World Cup the fairest battlefield — or the most unforgiving?
The road to the 2025 World Championship begins here — where the glass ceiling finally shattered
The official partner of the World Chess Show is it.com Domains, a provider of innovative domain solutions. As the operator of the .it.com domain registry, it offers a dynamic platform that empowers individuals and businesses to effectively showcase their digital presence, offering domains under the .it.com suffix (for example, yourname.it.com). Visit get.it.com today and create your unique online image.
We would like to express our gratitude to WeWork Berlin for their kind support.
Media Attribution
This video includes images licensed under Creative Commons. Attribution as follows:
Photos:
Wei Yi by Eteri Kublashvili, FIDE,
Sindarov Javokhir by Michal Walusza, FIDE
Esipenko Andrey, Sindarov Javokhir, Wei Yi by Michal Walusza, FIDE
Sindarov Javokhir by Michal Walusza, FIDE
The last round of the Hoogoven chess tournament, co-winner Anand (India) in action, by Rob Bogaerts / Anefo
Viktor Korchnoi & Viswanathan Anand, Hoogovens Chess Tournament 1990 By Fotoburo De Boer
By Fotoburo De Boer - Noord-Hollands Archief, NL-HlmNHA 1478 31803K00 31, CC0,
Image courtesy of The Illustrated Weekly of India.
Volodar Murzin, Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 By Vysotsky - CC BY-SA 4.0,
Magnus Carlsen, by Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ian Nepomniachtchi during Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 (cropped) by Frans Peeters CC BY-SA 2.0
Pranav Venkatesh By Kreymer - CC BY-SA 4.0,
Praggnanandhaa R (cropped) By Frans Peeters CC BY-SA 2.0
Arjun Erigaisi by Frans Peeters, CC BY-SA 2.0
Aryan Chopra by Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rameshbabu Vaishali by Frans Peeters,CC BY-SA 2.0
Divya Deskmukh by Frans Peeters CC BY-SA 2.0
World Cup 2005: Round 7 – Tie-break. Closing Ceremony. Photo Report by FIDE
Videos
Video excerpt courtesy of Chess.com,”TITLED TUESDAY Gameweek 12: Will Magnus Win 5th Title Of The Season?” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=d0mR27dLRU8
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”FIDE World Cup 2025 Closing Ceremony” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=pePJQizkYf4
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”Highlights | Game 1 | Finals | FIDE World Cup 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=WMNb3VZlibU
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”Highlights | Round 4 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=-MZwGUCOmBI
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseIndiachannel,”Hikarus IRL Stream Meetup” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/shorts/JadBsg6I174
Video excerpt courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club,”Fabi Gets His Trophy & Big Check! | D6 #GCTFinals” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=5bdCCwc6Gb8&t=3s
Video excerpt courtesy of CHES - ThanhCong Online,”BERLIN ENDING!! Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen || Clutch Chess 2025 - R9” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=NCpQy4yeco4
Video excerpt courtesy of Freestyle Chess,”"I was suffering from a risk-free position" | Interview w/ Fabiano Caruana | Freestyle Chess Paris” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=1KLnJ1e-trM
Video excerpt courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, “Caruana’s Trophy and BIG Check Presentation! | R9 #SuperbetChessClassic” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=ztvZYWeIR3M
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Chess ♟ | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 | Round 1 | ft. 🇮🇳 Gukesh D, 🇺🇿 Abdusattorov, 🇮🇳 Deshmukh and more” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=WDbn_USY4H4
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Highlights | Round 6 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=Uk_mgOh6_wE
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Highlights | Round 5 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=PlTtBUPkO70
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess, “Highlights | Round 8 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2025” retrieved from Youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=FMfon25qQSg
