Viswanathan Anand to play in Jerusalem Masters 2025, big boost for Israeli chess

Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the Israel Chess Federation, the event is seen as a step toward restored normalcy for a region embroiled in significant political conflicts in recent years.

Now a deputy president of the international chess body FIDE, Anand’s upcoming visit marks a return to Jerusalem, where he last played there in an exhibition simul alongside former World Champion Anatoly Karpov in 2018 as part of the celebrations for the state of Israel’s 70th anniversary.

The 12-player Masters event will also feature FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky, alongside top Israeli Grandmasters such as Maxim Rodshtein, Ido Gorshtein, Yahli Sokolosky, and Avital Boruchovsky. Both Viswanathan Anand and Arjun Erigaisi have confirmed their participation to The Indian Express.

Sutovsky confirmed to this newspaper that he will not be attending the Jerusalem event in his capacity as FIDE’s CEO and spokesperson but will play as a chess professional. However, when inquired further about the event, he declined to comment.

The Masters tournament in Jerusalem will be preceded by an Open event, which is expected to draw nearly 500 players. This includes five Indians: GM Prraneeth Vuppala, IM Dhulipalla Bala Chandra Prasad, IM N B Hari Madhavan, IM A Ra Harikrishnan, and IM AL Muthaiah. The top two finishers from the Open will qualify for the Masters.

The Masters event boasts a strong prize pool of $140,000, one of the highest ever for a chess event in Israel, with the winner set to take home $55,000.

To attract more international participants this time, the organisers are offering appearance fees: 700 Euros for Grandmasters/Women’s Grandmasters and 500 Euros for International Masters/Women’s International Masters, granted to the first 40 overseas players who register.

This is also a big shift from the 2024 edition of the tournament, which was dominated by local players. In the 2024 Open event, for instance, fewer than 20 of the 307 participants were from overseas. The inaugural 2024 Masters event featured a modest ten players, five local and five foreign Grandmasters, including Russia’s Peter Svidler, Daniil Dubov, the legendary Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk, Pavel Eljanov, and the Netherlands’ Jorden van Foreest. Svidler ultimately clinched the title.

Viswanathan Anand plays simultaneous matches against Israeli kids during an event marking Israel’s 70th anniversary at Jerusalem’s Old City’s Jaffa Gate. (Reuters)

The tournament also provides a crucial competitive opening for Israeli players, who have faced barriers in international competitions. For instance, in September 2025, seven Israeli players were initially banned from the Basque Country Sestao Open in Spain and prevented from playing under their national flag. Although the decision was later overturned following backlash and a warning from FIDE, the incident still underlines a climate of exclusion similar to that faced by Russian players.

Notably absent from the international event in Jerusalem will be Israel’s greatest player, Boris Gelfand. Despite being a six-time World Championship finalist and former World Cup and Candidates winner, Gelfand has a long-standing conflict with the Israel Chess Association and has not played for the national team since 2019.