Azerbaijan Announces Chess Players for FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025

Azerbaijani chess players are preparing to showcase their talents at the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss tournaments, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

A total of four chess players, including Shahriyar Mammadyarov, Rauf Mammadov, and Eltaj Safarli, and female player Gunay Mammadzade will represent the country in the competition, which will run from September 3-16, 2025, The Caspian Post reports citing Azertac.

As one of the most significant events in the chess calendar, the FIDE Grand Swiss offers players a direct pathway to the Candidates Tournament. The top two finishers in the Grand Swiss will secure spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, while the top two players in the Women’s Grand Swiss will qualify for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament.

Both tournaments will feature an 11-round Swiss format, with 170 players participating from across the globe - 114 in the Grand Swiss and 56 in the Women’s Grand Swiss.

In addition to its importance as a qualifier, the event will feature an increased prize fund. The Open prize fund has been boosted from $460,000 to $625,000-a 36% increase-while the Women’s prize fund sees an even larger jump, from $140,000 to $230,000, up 64%.