This year marks a milestone: the 10th anniversary of the Grand Chess Tour, founded in 2015 by Kasparov himself. Over the past decade, the Tour has brought the world’s top players to global audiences, making chess more accessible and inspiring new generations.
The 2025 Finals will feature the top four players who earned the highest points across this year’s Tour, emerging from prestigious tournaments across Europe and the US.
The stage is set for an electrifying showdown as grandmasters Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Levon Aronian (USA), and Praggnanandhaa R. (India) battle for the championship crown.
The total prize fund is US$1.6 million, including US$350,000 for the knockout matches at the Finals, sponsored by the Superbet Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club, both non-profit organizations committed to chess education and expanding the game worldwide.
Organized under the auspices of the Municipality of São Paulo, in partnership with the Brazilian Chess Federation and chess club Xeque Matte, and funded by the Superbet Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club, this year’s Finals embrace the theme “Uniting Minds”—celebrating life, peace, shared values, and intellectual excellence, and showcasing chess as a force for unity and the common good.
“Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the GCT is a milestone for the global chess community,” said Michael Khodarkovsky, Executive Director of the GCT. “This year’s tour has been one of the most competitive and exciting yet, and we are thrilled to see it culminate with the Finals in Brazil—a fitting stage for such an important moment in GCT history.”
“Bringing the Grand Chess Tour Final to Brazil puts São Paulo on the global chess map, and we hope it will inspire a new generation of players across Latin America. By supporting world-class competitions like the GCT, we aim to make chess more accessible and showcase its power to unite and inspire people from all walks of life,” said Augusta Dragic, President of the Superbet Foundation.
Tickets for the tournament are available at: https://grandchesstour.com.br/.
Press accreditation for coverage is open from August 20 to September 17, at 4:00 p.m., via Google Forms.
For more information about the GCT, visit grandchesstour.org.
Grand Chess Tour
Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. For more information about the tour, please visit grandchesstour.org.
Superbet Foundation
The Superbet Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Superbet Group, champions health, education, and sports—key to the wellbeing and progress of communities. It supports a wide range of programs and initiatives worldwide, with a special focus on chess, promoting inclusivity by connecting people across all ages and backgrounds.
Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org.
Source: GMB
