Panaji, November 15: With the FIDE World Cup 2025 already underway in India, global corporate powerhouses — Google A, Microsoft A, JP Morgan 1, Deloitte 1 & 2, UBS 1, Morgan Stanley, Greco, ERG, Equity Bank Kenya, Freedom Holding and Tech Mahindra — are set for a high-stakes face-off this weekend for the coveted title of “The Smartest Company in the World.
The finals will take place on the sidelines of the World Cup Chess in Goa on November 16. The FIDE World Corporate Chess Championships Finals unite top talent from the world’s leading technology, finance and consulting firms, underscoring how chess — a sport defined by strategy, cognitive skill and decision-making — has emerged as a powerful engagement platform for corporate leadership worldwide.
Eight teams clinched their berths through a global online knockout qualifier featuring players from 30 countries, while four teams received direct invitations. The tournament is open exclusively to non-professional corporate players, ensuring a true peer-to-peer contest among executives, engineers, analysts and managers. Each team consists of four players and one captain, who may or may not be a player.
“When global giants meet across a chessboard, it reflects how strategy-driven thinking has become central to modern business. Chess mirrors the decision-making, foresight and competitive discipline that define successful organisations, which is why professionals across sectors connect so naturally with the sport. And being staged alongside the World Cup makes this championship even more special, placing corporate players at the heart of one of chess’s biggest global stages.” Joran Aulin-Jansson, FIDE Council Vice-President.
After a successful debut in New York last year, the Corporate Championships return with a sharper focus on non-professional players raising the competitive bar for what is now one of the most intellectually charged corporate events in global sport.
As 206 Grandmasters from 86 countries battle it out at the World Cup, the addition of the Corporate Championships strengthens India’s standing as a global chess powerhouse while creating a powerful platform for deeper corporate involvement in the sport.
