Baku to Stage International Chess Festival

With the backing of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Azerbaijan Chess Federation will organize the Baku Open 2025, an international chess festival.

As part of the event, legendary chess player Vishwanathan Anand will visit Baku. The Indian chess grandmaster will face the latest Azerbaijan Champion, Rauf Mammadov, in rapid and blitz games from April 27 to 30, The Caspian Post reports citing Azertac.

The festival will take place at Baku Crystal Hall from April 27 (arrival) to May 6 (last round and closing ceremony). It will feature three tournament sections (A, B, and C), all of which will be 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. The total prize fund for the festival is $55,000.