Press release by FIDE
While the eyes of the chess world are usually on the favourites, a new generation of players is coming up through the ranks, and they will be looking to shake things up at the Grand Swiss in Samarkand.
The fourth edition of the strongest ever Swiss System tournament in chess – the FIDE Grand Swiss – is set to take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan at the start of September. Many of the best players in the world will be there, competing in one of the most prestigious events on the chess calendar. Among them, a cohort of prodigious youngsters in their early teens, brought up to become chess champions and set new world records for the ancient game. While many of them are already widely known, some are yet to stand out on the global chess scene.
Facing the Sicilian doesn’t have to be complicated. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Whether your opponent plays the Najdorf, Taimanov, or Dragon, the Alapin lets you take control of the game as early as move two.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 2…g6
The lowering age of the success bar in chess
In 1958, when Bobby Fischer became a Grandmaster at 15 years and six months—already the U.S. Champion at the time—it made headlines around the world. The New York Times reported that this made Fischer a member of the “most exclusive chess fraternity in the world”. As years went by, the age bar continued to go lower: Judit Polgar beat Fischer’s record by two months in 1991, also becoming the first woman to set the new record; then came Ruslan Ponomariov at 14 years and 17 days; Karjakin followed at 12 and seven months; and then in 2021 Abhimanyu Mishra set the current record at 12 years and four months. In nearly 50 years, the threshold has dropped from 15 to just 12.
But there are also other records set by youngsters. Türkiye’s Yagız Kaan Erdogmuş became the youngest-ever player to surpass a 2600 rating in 2024, before turning 13. And, of course, the crown of success – Gukesh Dommaraju became the World Champion at the age of just 18, having previously become the youngest player ever (at the age of just 17) to cross the FIDE rating of 2750.
Most recently, Britain’s Bodhana Sivanandan (10) became the youngest girl ever to defeat a Grandmaster and achieve the WIM title. Also, in the United States, 10-year-old Keya Iha defeated a GM in the final round of the Joe Yun Memorial.
With the age of mastery and success dropping with every generation, chess is clearly becoming a young person’s game. Early starts, more family and state support, dedication and planning, as well as computers – are to credit for this trend.
The forthcoming Grand Swiss in Samarkand is the next battleground where the youthful energy will test and be tested by experience, and the clash of generations will bring new surprises to the chess world.
The rising stars to look out for in Samarkand
Open section
Volodar Murzin (2678)
Photo: Michal Walusza
Born in 2006 in Nizhny Tagil, Murzin’s became a Grandmaster in 2022, just five years since becoming a FIDE Master. He caught global attention last December when he won the World Rapid Championship in New York with 10/13, defeating seasoned players such as Caruana, Nakamura and Duda. The 19-year-old is currently ranked 46th in the world.
Raunak Sadhwani (2676)
Photo: Michal Walusza
The Indian prodigy has for years been present at the top of the chess world that it’s easy to overlook the fact that he is just 19. The youngster from Nagpur in India became a GM at the age of 13. He won the Commonwealth Championship in the U-10 group in 2015 and was part of India’s bronze team at the 44th Chess Olympiad. A confident and polite player, Sadhwani is a regular at world-class events, always lurking around the top.
Jonas Buhl Bjerre (2655)
Photo: Maria Emelianova
The 21-year-old Danish GM is gradually making his way to the top of the chess world. His greatest successes so far include winning the gold medal at the 2017 European Youth Chess Championships and finishing third at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 Challengers group. A versatile player, he has several strong tournaments under his belt and has played almost every top player in the world in recent years.
Ediz Gürel (2652)
The Modern Defence (1…g6) is more than just a move – it’s a statement. By opting for a fianchetto setup, you embrace unbalanced and strategically rich positions, steering away from predictable theory battles. This approach allows Black to develop along the long diagonal, patiently targeting White’s strong centre instead of directly challenging it. If you‘re looking to play for a full point with Black, this opening is the perfect addition to your repertoire.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King’s Indian Links 4.c4 e5 Firouzja vs Carlsen
Photo: Mark Livshitz
The second-youngest Turkish GM (at just 14), Gurel has caught the attention of the chess world on several recent occasions. In 2024, he won the Challengers section of the Prague Chess Festival without a single loss, and his ELO has had a steady upward rise in recent years. With a rating of 2652 at just 16 years of age, Gürel is a player whose star is rapidly ascending.
Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş (2642)
Photo: Mikael Svensson
Even though he’s only 14, Erdoğmuş already has two spectacular records under his belt: in 2024 he became a GM at the age of 12 years and 10 months (the fourth youngest ever), while that same year he became the youngest player to cross the 2600 ELO mark. With appearances at several notable tournaments (Sitges, Grenke, TePe Sigeman) he is on a fast track to becoming one of the top players in the world. This July, he beat Peter Svidler 4–2 in the “Clash of Generations” match, a result that propelled him into the world’s top 100, the second-youngest ever after Judit Polgar.
Abhimanyu Mishra (2610)
Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Crystal Fuller
Another record-setter, Mishra is the youngest person ever to become Grandmaster. He was awarded the title in 2021, at the age of 12 years, four months and 25 days. His previous record was to become the youngest International Master ever (10 years and nine months). Most recently, he finished in shared 2-3rd place in the US Juniors Championship. Mishra is yet to achieve a grand success in a big international tournament, and he will be looking for a chance at the Grand Swiss in Samarkand.
Marc’Andria Maurizzi (2604)
Photo: Biel International Chess Festival
Another youngster, 18-year-old Maurizzi became the youngest French GM in 2021, at the age of 14. Two years before, in 2019, he won the French junior championship for players under 12 years old. The winner of the World Junior Chess Championships in 2023, he has recently played in many top international tournaments, including Tata Steel (in 2024, where he tied for second place) and the Djerba Masters in February this year, winning the event with a round to spare and an astonishing performance rating of 2898.
Pranav Venkatesh (2597)
Photo: Mitar Djukanovic
The 18-year-old Indian is the reigning Junior World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy who has had many top world coaches, Pranav is especially dangerous in time trouble, given his stellar performance in shorter time controls. In the World Rapid Teams tournament this June in London, Pranav was one of the key players in the Indian squad of MGD1, helping them win first place. A fast-moving player, Pranav holds two gold medals in the U-18 section of the World Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships.
Aditya Mittal (2560)
Photo: Maria Emelianova
Not many Grandmasters can say they beat two of the most-established players of the younger generation (Keymer and Erigaisi) in one tournament, but Aditya Mittal achieved that in the 2022 Aimchess Rapid tournament of the Champions Chess Tour, at the age of 15. Another rising Indian chess star looking to make his mark, Mittal will likely be a serious challenge to the more experienced players in Samarkand.
Ihor Samunenkov (2548)
Photo: Biel International Chess Festival
For decades, Ukraine has produced many of the strongest world players and 16-year-old Ihor Samunenkov is the newest Ukrainian chess gift to the world. He was awarded the title of GM at the age of 14. In December 2021, Samunenkov won the U-12 World Youth Chess Championship (where he defeated the world’s youngest grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra). This will be Samunenkov’s second appearance at the Grand Swiss. In the 2023 edition, he scored just one victory – against Michal Krasenkow in round six. With the experience of the previous Grand Swiss and even more training and tournaments recently, Samunenkov will definitely look to improve his score in his second appearance at the Grand Swiss.
Mukhiddin Madaminov (2560)
Photo: Anna Shtourman
The 18-year-old GM from Uzbekistan made headlines in 2023, when he checkmated the Indian GM Ganguly in just eight moves. While he hasn’t played that much in top-level international tournaments, wherever Madaminov appeared, he made his presence known – whether it was a 9/9 from the Titled Tuesday tournament in 2024, to sharing first place at the Master Tournament of the Biel Chess Festival 2024. In February this year, Madaminov won the Al-Beruniy Masters with 6½/9 and in June came in second in the UzChess Cup challengers with 6/9.
Women’s section
The top rankings in the Women’s Grand Swiss include several established young players – Bibisara Assaubayeva (21 y.o., two-time Women’s World Blitz Champion from Kazakhstan), Polina Shuvalova (24 y.o., with a long history of successful appearances at top women’s events), 24-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) as well as 21-year-old three-time US Women’s Champion, Carissa Yip. However, there are several other notable young players in their teens and early 20s who will be competing for the top placements in Samarkand.
Leya Garifullina (2477)
Photo: Lennart Ootes
The 20-year-old was a U-16 World Champion in 2019 and also tied for third in the 2020 Russian Women’s Championship. Garifullina holds an IM title and has a track record of successful appearances at prominent international women’s events.
Teodora Injac (2455)
Photo: Anna Shtourman
The year 2025 has so far been a great success for the Serbian player. Most notably, earlier this year Injac won the Women’s European Chess Championship. She has competed at the World Cup three times (2021, 2023 and 2025). In the most recent edition of the World Cup, she was eliminated in round three, losing to Divya Deshmukh, who would go on to win the tournament in spectacular fashion. A two-time Olympiad participant (2022 and 2024) and the reigning chess champion of Serbia, Injac will arrive in Samarkand looking to build on the wave of success that 2025 has already brought her.
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Lu Miaoyi (2439)
Photo: Andrei Anosov
The second top-rated Chinese player in Samarkand will be the 15-year-old Lu Miaoyi. Born in 2006, she is a part of the Chinese chess talent wave. Currently, Lu is ranked as the second junior girl in the world (behind Divya Deshmukh). She is also the reigning Chinese women’s national champion.
Afruza Khamdamova (2409)
Photo: Polina Bovina
The hope of Uzbekistan in the Grand Swiss, 18-year-old Afruza Khamdamova is one of the top young players in her country. She won the title of World Youth Champion in 2023 and 2024 (in the U-14 and U-16 respectively) and is the first woman from Uzbekistan to achieve this feat.
Nurgyul Salimova (2385)
Photo: Przemek Nikiel
The 22-year-old has been an IM since 2019. A former gold and silver medallist at the Bulgarian Women’s and Open Chess Championship, she achieved her greatest success, reaching the finals of the 2023 World Cup. This success qualified Salimova for the 2024 Candidates in Toronto, where she finished in seventh place out of eight.
Zsóka Gaál (2376)
Photo: Michal Walusza
A Hungarian Woman Grandmaster born in 2007, Gaál earned her WGM title in November 2024. She was the 2016 European Youth Champion (U10 girls) and the 2021 online World Youth Champion (U14 girls).
Meruert Kamalidenova (2349)
Photo: Andrei Anosov
Part of the new Kazakh chess wave, Kamalidenova is one of the top women players from Kazakhstan with an impressive track record in international youth events. She won the Kazakhstan Youth Chess Championships several times, as well as the World Youth championship in 2019, for the U-14 age group. Her notable international appearances include the 2021 Grand Swiss and the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024. She also had an impressive run at the 2025 Women’s World Cup in Batumi, reaching the Round of 16.
The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3
Eline Roebers (2360)
Photo: Mark Livshitz
Coming from the Netherlands, the 19-year-old IM is a standout player on the European chess scene. She is a former Dutch Women’s Champion and the winner of the Dutch Youth Championship (Open Division) in 2022. Playing on the second board at the European Women’s Team Championship in 2021, she was awarded an individual bronze medal for her achievement.
About the FIDE Grand Swiss
Held every two years, the FIDE Grand Swiss brings together many of the strongest chess players in the world, playing in a classical 11-round Swiss system tournament. The first Grand Swiss took place in 2019 in the Isle of Man and was won by GM Wang Hao, who scored 8/11. The 2021 edition was moved from the Isle of Man to Riga due to Covid restrictions on the island and was won by GM Alireza Firouzja in the Open and Lei Tingjie in the inaugural Women’s event. The 2023 Grand Swiss was won by India’s Vidit Gujrathi in the Open and Vaishali Rameshbabu in the women’s competition.
More information about the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss can be found here on the official website.
