FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: Anish Giri and Vaishali Rameshbabu Clinch Titles in Uzbekistan.

The FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 3 to 15, 2025, concluded with Dutch GM Anish Giri winning the Open section and Indian GM Vaishali Rameshbabu securing the Women’s section title for the second consecutive year. The tournament served as a qualification event for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

      - The event featured two categories—Open and Women’s—played under the 11-round Swiss format with 116 players in the Open and 56 in the Women’s section. Winners and runners-up from each section qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, with a total prize pool of USD 850,000, including USD 230,000 for the Women’s section.

      - In the Open section, Anish Giri scored 8/11 points, remaining undefeated with 5 wins and 6 draws, earning USD 90,000. Germany’s Matthias Blübaum, with 7.5/11 points, finished runner-up and secured qualification alongside Giri for the Candidates Tournament. France’s Alireza Firouzja claimed third place with USD 62,000 in prize money.

      - Anish Giri’s victory was marked by a notable win over Hans Niemann of the USA. Additionally, 16-year-old Indian Abhimanyu Mishra became the youngest player to defeat reigning World Champion Gukesh D, making headlines with his historic achievement.

Main Point :-   (i) In the Women’s section, Vaishali Rameshbabu scored 8/11 points, edging out Kateryna Lagno (Russia) on tiebreaks to claim the title and USD 40,000 prize.

      (ii) Lagno earned USD 31,000 as runner-up, while Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) finished third with USD 25,000. Both Vaishali and Lagno qualified for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament.

(iii) Vaishali’s win marked a historic achievement, as she became the first player to win consecutive Grand Swiss Women’s titles (2023 and 2025). With this, she also became the third Indian woman in history to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.