The FIDE Grand Swiss has crowned champions since 2019, and in a short time it’s become one of the most reliable launchpads to the Candidates Tournament. Below is the complete list of Grand Swiss winners — both the open and the women’s sections — plus the records and notable qualifiers worth knowing. As of July 2026, the reigning champions are Anish Giri (open) and Vaishali Rameshbabu (women’s).
Open section — all champions
| Year | Champion | Country | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Wang Hao | China | 8 / 11 | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| 2021 | Alireza Firouzja | France | 8 / 11 | Riga, Latvia |
| 2023 | Vidit Gujrathi | India | 8½ / 11 | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| 2025 | Anish Giri | Netherlands | 8 / 11 | Samarkand, Uzbekistan |
Women’s section — all champions
| Year | Champion | Country | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Lei Tingjie | China | 9 / 11 | Riga, Latvia |
| 2023 | Vaishali Rameshbabu | India | 8½ / 11 | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| 2025 | Vaishali Rameshbabu | India | 8 / 11 | Samarkand, Uzbekistan |
The women’s Grand Swiss began as a separate section in 2021. In 2019 there was no standalone women’s tournament — Harika Dronavalli won the women’s prize as the top-placed female player within the open field.
Who qualified for the Candidates
The whole point of the Grand Swiss is the qualification prize. Here’s who earned their way through in each edition:
- 2019 (open): Wang Hao qualified for the Candidates — the winner’s spot (the field for that edition sent one player directly).
- 2021 (open): the top two, Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana, qualified for the Candidates 2022.
- 2021 (women’s): Lei Tingjie qualified for the Women’s Candidates.
- 2023 (open): Vidit Gujrathi and runner-up Hikaru Nakamura qualified for the Candidates 2024.
- 2023 (women’s): Vaishali Rameshbabu and Tan Zhongyi qualified for the Women’s Candidates 2024. (Runner-up Anna Muzychuk had already qualified by another route, so her spot passed down.)
- 2025 (open): Anish Giri and Matthias Blübaum qualified for the Candidates 2026.
- 2025 (women’s): Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno qualified for the Women’s Candidates.
Records & milestones
- Most Grand Swiss titles: Vaishali Rameshbabu — the only two-time champion (women’s, 2023 and 2025), and the only player to win back-to-back in either section.
- First-ever champion: Wang Hao, who won the inaugural 2019 open on tiebreak over Fabiano Caruana.
- First women’s champion: Lei Tingjie, in the inaugural 2021 women’s event, with a commanding 9/11.
- Highest winning score: Lei Tingjie’s 9/11 (women’s, 2021) is the biggest points total by any Grand Swiss champion so far.
- The Indian double (2023): Vidit and Vaishali both won on the Isle of Man — and Vaishali, alongside brother Praggnanandhaa, formed the first brother-and-sister pair to reach Candidates events in the same cycle.
- The launchpad effect: Alireza Firouzja was barely 18 when he won in 2021 and surged into the world’s top handful of players soon after.
Notable qualifiers and near-misses
The Grand Swiss has repeatedly reshaped a World Championship cycle. Hikaru Nakamura used his 2023 runner-up finish to return to the Candidates after years away from classical qualification. Anish Giri, long considered “always close, never through,” finally punched his 2025 ticket by winning the whole thing in Samarkand. And for Vaishali, the event turned into a personal fortress — two titles in a row and two Women’s Candidates berths earned over the board.
Frequently asked questions
Who has won the most Grand Swiss titles? Vaishali Rameshbabu, with two women’s titles (2023 and 2025) — the only multiple winner so far.
Who won the first Grand Swiss? Wang Hao of China won the inaugural open in 2019 on the Isle of Man.
Who won the 2025 Grand Swiss? Anish Giri won the open and Vaishali Rameshbabu won the women’s, both in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (as of July 2026).
Where has the Grand Swiss been held? Isle of Man (2019, 2023), Riga in Latvia (2021), and Samarkand in Uzbekistan (2025).
How do winners qualify for the Candidates? In recent editions the top two finishers in each section earn Candidates spots — see the Grand Swiss hub for how the format works.
Explore more
Read how the event works and what’s next on the Grand Swiss hub · See what the qualifiers are aiming for at the Candidates Tournament · Browse full profiles of the players who’ve won it.
Researched and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Verified against FIDE, Wikipedia, and Chess.com · Champions and qualifiers current as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-11 · How we verify content.