Grandmaster Chess Cup 2025
SwissStandard
25 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 13 Dec 2025 to 20 Dec 2025 in Dubai, UAE. 13 titled players from 8 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 2289, and top seed was Mikheil Mchedlishvili (🇬🇪 GEO, GM, 2563).
Farid Mustafayev (🇦🇿 AZE, FM, 2319) won with 8.0/9, ahead of Ibrahim Sultan (7.0) and Mikheil Mchedlishvili (6.5). Mustafayev took the lead from round 4.
The biggest upset came in round 7: Ibrahim Sultan (IM, 2119) beat Tornike Sanikidze (GM, 2411), a +292-point gap.
Location
🇦🇪Dubai, UAE
Dates
13 Dec 2025 → 20 Dec 2025
Time control
Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1
System
Swiss · 9 rounds
Titled players · 13
GM×3
IM×4
FM×3
CM×1
WIM×2
Federations · 8 represented
🇦🇿Azerbaijan×8
🇦🇪United Arab Emirates×7
🇬🇪Georgia×3
🇩🇰Denmark×2
🇺🇿Uzbekistan×1
🇮🇹Italy×1
🇲🇳Mongolia×1
🇮🇳India×1
Top 3
- 🥇
- 🥈
- 🥉
How it unfolded
Top 6 · 9 roundsFM Farid Mustafayev led from R4; +1.0-point edge over the runner-up.
Co-leaders
10
5
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
R4 · LEADER CHANGE15 Dec
FM Farid Mustafayev takes the sole lead (3.5/4).
R2 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND
FM Farid Mustafayev beat IM Ibrahim Sultan (White).
WIN STREAKS · 2 top finishers
FM Farid Mustafayev 3 wins (R4–R6)IM Ibrahim Sultan 5 wins (R5–R9)
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1FMFarid Mustafayev | * | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 2IMIbrahim Sultan | 0 | * | — | 0 |
| 3GMMikheil Mchedlishvili | ½ | — | * | — |
| 4IMParviz Gasimov | 0 | 1 | — | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mustafayev, FaridFM | 2319 | AZE | +9N | +2B | =5N | +6N | +4B | +7B | =3N | +11B | +16N | 8.0 | 45.5 | 49.0 | 43.00 | 2569 | +50.0 |
| 2 | Sultan, IbrahimIM | 2119 | UAE | +20B | −1N | +21B | −4B | +18N | +9N | +6B | +7B | +5N | 7.0 | 42.0 | 44.5 | 30.50 | 2330 | +40.6 |
| 3 | Mchedlishvili, MikheilGM | 2563 | GEO | =12B | +10N | =8B | =13N | +16B | +14N | =1B | =5B | +6N | 6.5 | 42.0 | 45.5 | 31.75 | 2392 | -13.2 |
| 4 | Gasimov, ParvizIM | 2328 | AZE | =16B | =12N | +9B | +2N | −1N | +8B | −5N | +17B | +11N | 6.0 | 43.0 | 46.5 | 29.00 | 2205 | -10.3 |
| 5 | Abdulrahman Mohammad, Al TaherFM | 2193 | UAE | +25N | +14B | =1B | =8N | =6B | =10N | +4B | =3N | −2B | 5.5 | 47.0 | 48.0 | 26.00 | 2315 | +24.8 |
| 6 | Sanikidze, TornikeGM | 2411 | GEO | +17N | +13B | +7N | −1B | =5N | +11B | −2N | +14B | −3B | 5.5 | 45.5 | 49.0 | 24.75 | 2320 | -8.7 |
| 7 | Sevdimaliyev, UrfanGM | 2295 | AZE | +15N | +19B | −6B | +10N | +8B | −1N | =14B | −2N | +12B | 5.5 | 43.0 | 46.5 | 24.00 | 2187 | -8.9 |
| 8 | Ahmed, FareedFM | 2124 | UAE | +22N | +11B | =3N | =5B | −7N | −4N | =9B | =10N | +15B | 5.0 | 42.0 | 44.0 | 21.50 | 2153 | +5.6 |
| 9 | Mohammad Abdulrahman, Alawadhi | 1854 | UAE | −1B | +23N | −4N | +20B | +22N | −2B | =8N | +13B | =18N | 5.0 | 39.0 | 41.0 | 15.75 | 1991 | +15.2 |
| 10 | Rashid Husain AlhammadiCM | 2011 | UAE | +21N | −3B | +22N | −7B | +15N | =5B | −11N | =8B | +14N | 5.0 | 37.5 | 39.5 | 17.75 | 2141 | +39.2 |
| 11 | Shalamberidze, AkakiIM | 2215 | GEO | +24B | −8N | +18B | =12N | +13B | −6N | +10B | −1N | −4B | 4.5 | 42.0 | 44.0 | 17.25 | 2104 | -10.9 |
| 12 | Al Maamari, Wafia DarwishWIM | 1969 | UAE | =3N | =4B | +19N | =11B | −14N | +17B | =13N | =16B | −7N | 4.5 | 38.0 | 41.5 | 19.50 | 2142 | +29.2 |
| 13 | Agolzer, Luca | 2140 | ITA | +23B | −6N | +15B | =3B | −11N | =16N | =12B | −9N | +24N | 4.5 | 35.5 | 37.5 | 15.25 | 2016 | -51.6 |
| 14 | Hasanzade, ToghrulIM | 2301 | AZE | +18B | −5N | =16B | +17N | +12B | −3B | =7N | −6N | −10B | 4.0 | 39.5 | 43.0 | 16.00 | 2087 | -21.5 |
| 15 | Guliyev, Yunis | 1800 | AZE | −7B | +20N | −13N | +23B | −10B | =19N | =21B | +22N | −8N | 4.0 | 31.0 | 33.0 | 10.00 | 1319 | -22.4 |
| 16 | Naghiyev, Ali | 1909 | AZE | =4N | =17B | =14N | +25B | −3N | =13B | F | =12N | −1B | 3.5 | 40.5 | 41.5 | 12.25 | 2078 | +42.4 |
| 17 | Ahlam RashedWIM | 1920 | UAE | −6B | =16N | +24B | −14B | +20N | −12N | +19B | −4N | F | 3.5 | 32.0 | 32.0 | 10.25 | 1905 | -8.0 |
| 18 | Mammadov, Javid | 1805 | AZE | −14N | +25B | −11N | +19B | −2B | +21N | F | F | =9B | 3.5 | 31.0 | 31.0 | 9.50 | 1774 | -9.2 |
| 19 | Yuldashev, Jakhongir | 0 | UZB | F | −7N | −12B | −18N | +25B | =15B | −17N | +20N | +22B | 3.5 | 27.0 | 27.0 | 8.00 | 1592 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Volkov, Anton Patrik | 0 | DEN | −2N | −15B | F | −9N | −17B | +24B | +25N | −19B | +23N | 3.0 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 5.00 | 1653 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Volkov, Roman | 0 | DEN | −10B | F | −2N | −22B | +24N | −18B | =15N | −23N | +25B | 2.5 | 26.5 | 26.5 | 5.00 | 1752 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Nishanth Vardhan Gowducheruvu | 0 | IND | −8B | +24N | −10B | +21N | −9B | −23N | F | −15B | −19N | 2.0 | 29.0 | 29.0 | 4.50 | 1672 | 0.0 |
| 23 | FIDE 447003669 | 0 | — | −13N | −9B | −25N | −15N | F | +22B | −24N | +21B | −20B | 2.0 | 24.0 | 24.0 | 4.50 | 1091 | 0.0 |
| 24 | Karimov, Isgandar | 1770 | AZE | −11N | −22B | −17N | F | −21B | −20N | +23B | +25N | −13B | 2.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 3.00 | 1277 | -19.2 |
| 25 | Bat-Ireedui Lkhagvajav | 0 | MGL | −5B | −18N | +23B | −16N | −19N | F | −20B | −24B | −21N | 1.0 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 2.00 | 1119 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
Top rating gainers
- 1Mustafayev, FaridFMAZE+50.08.0 pts · #1
- 2Naghiyev, AliAZE+42.43.5 pts · #14
- 3Sultan, IbrahimIMUAE+40.67.0 pts · #5
Top rating losers
- 1Agolzer, LucaITA-51.64.5 pts · #12
- 2Guliyev, YunisAZE-22.44.0 pts · #23
- 3Hasanzade, ToghrulIMAZE-21.54.0 pts · #9
Biggest upsets
- R7+292 Elo gap
- R9+290 Elo gap
- R8+286 Elo gap