Women's Chess World Cup

Publication date: 19 Jun 2025

The FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup is a prestigious international chess competition for women. Furthermore, it is organized under the auspices of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). Additionally, it is hosted by the Georgian Chess Federation. Moreover, it is one of the most significant events in the women’s chess calendar. Finally, it grants access to the Candidates Tournament.

Official tournament website

Women’s Chess World Cup 2025 / Where and When

Location and Duration: Batumi, Georgia, from July 5 to July 29, 2025.
Organizer: FIDE, in collaboration with the Georgian Chess Federation.
Format: Offline tournament; 107 participants in 7 rounds (90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes until the end of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move). The top 25 seeded players skip the first round.
Prize Fund: Approximately $691,250 (~€676,250), with $50,000 awarded to the winner.

Participants and Favorites

A total of 107 female chess players will compete, selected through rating, continental championships, the previous World Cup, and the Candidates Tournament. Notable participants include:

Aleksandra Goryachkina: Finalist of the 2023 World Cup.
Anna Muzychuk, Tan Zhongyi, Nurgyul Salimova: Previous World Cup medalists.
Ju Wenjun: World Champion, qualified automatically.

This lineup makes the tournament the strongest women’s chess competition of the year, following the Candidates Tournament.

Tournament History

The Women’s World Cup in knockout format was first held in 2021 in Sochi, where Alexandra Kosteniuk emerged victorious. Meanwhile, the second edition took place in 2023 in Baku, with Aleksandra Goryachkina claiming the title. The runners-up were Nurgyul Salimova and Anna Muzychuk.