FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship 2025
The FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship 2025 is the thirty-first edition of this prestigious international competition organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The championship represents the pinnacle of global competition in the ultra-fast chess category and is usually held in conjunction with the World Rapid Chess Championship as a unified concluding event for the global chess season.
Format
Stage 1: Swiss System (19 Rounds)
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Time Control: 3 minutes per player, with a 2-second increment per move starting from move 1.
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Qualification: The top 4 players with the highest total points will advance to the Knockout Stage.
Tie-Break Criteria
If two or more players finish with the same number of points, the tie will be broken using the following criteria, applied in order of priority:
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Buchholz Cut 1
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Buchholz
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Average Blitz Rating of Opponents Cut 1
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Direct Encounter (Head-to-head result between the tied players)
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Drawing of Lots
Stage 2: Knockout Stage
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Seeding: Pairings and seeding will be strictly determined by the final standings of Stage 1.
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Match Format: Each matchup will consist of a 4-game match.
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Time Control: The same time control from Stage 1 applies (3+2).
Knockout Tie-Breaks
In the event of a tie after 4 games, the following procedure will determine the winner:
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Sudden Death Games: A single game will be played under the same time control.
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Alternating Colors: If that game ends in a draw, another game will be played with reversed colors.
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Resolution: This process will be repeated until a decisive result is reached (the first player to win a game wins the match).