India, Oct. 30 -- The FIDE Chess World Cup will be held in Goa, India, from 31 October to 27 November. D Gukesh will be the top seed and will be leading a 24-member Indian contingent, which also includes wild card entry Divya Deshmukh. Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa are the second and third seeds.

Defending champion Magnus Carlsen won't be in action, as he has skipped the event. The tournament takes place every two years, and even the Candidates 2026 berths are at stake. The top three players will qualify for the tournament next year, which is a qualifier for the World C'ship match against Gukesh.

The tournament is an eight-round knockout event and the top 50 seeds are given a bye into the second round. Meanwhile, the lo...