World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship
♟️ World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship 2025: Doha Welcomes the Elite
The Chess Finale of the Year Begins
The end of December traditionally marks the climax of the chess season. From December 25 to 30, 2025, Doha will host the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship — one of the most spectacular and intense events on the FIDE calendar.
The venue will be Qatar University, which for several days will turn into an arena where the world’s strongest chess players battle for global titles.
The tournament promises high-speed action, a star-studded lineup, and dramatic conclusions, where every second and every move can decide the fate of a championship.
🌍 Format and Competition Structure
In 2025, the championship will feature four separate tournaments:
- 🏆 Open World Rapid Championship
- 👑 Women’s World Rapid Championship
- ⚡ Open World Blitz Championship
- ♛ Women’s World Blitz Championship
📌 Rapid Tournaments
- Open tournament: 13 rounds, Swiss system
- Women’s tournament: 11 rounds, Swiss system
The format remains unchanged from last year, ensuring sporting fairness and intense competition.
⚡ Blitz Tournaments: A Fight Until the Final Game
The blitz championships will be held in two stages:
- Main stage
- 19 rounds — Open tournament
- 15 rounds — Women’s tournament
- Playoffs
- The top 4 players advance to the semifinals
- Each match (semifinal and final) consists of 4 games
This format turns blitz into a true spectacle, where not only skill but also nerves of steel decide the outcome.
⭐ World Chess Stars in Doha
The open tournaments are expected to feature a constellation of world-class grandmasters:
- Magnus Carlsen
- Dommaraju Gukesh — reigning World Classical Chess Champion
- Levon Aronian
- Fabiano Caruana
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
The women’s tournaments will also bring together most of the elite players, including last year’s champions.
Participation of the Belarus National Team
Belarus will be represented at the World Championship by six players:
- Denis Lazavik
- Maksim Tsaruk
- Artyom Stribuk
- Mikhail Nikitenko
- Andrei Gorovets
- Aleksandra Tarasenko
For them, this is not only a chance to compete against the very best, but also an opportunity to make a strong statement on the world stage.
🗓️ Championship Schedule
⏰ All playing days start at 14:00 Minsk time
- December 26 — Rapid, Day 1
- December 27 — Rapid, Day 2
- December 28 — Rapid, Day 3
- December 29 — Blitz, Day 1
- December 30 — Blitz, Day 2
Speed, Emotion, and Chess History
The World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship is a unique event where classical strategic depth gives way to instant decisions, intuition, and psychological resilience.
At the end of 2025, Doha will become the place where new world champions are crowned, and fans will witness chess in its most dynamic and emotional form. The grand finale of the year promises to be spectacular — and to go down in history.