Lichess Qualifiers for Kazakhstan Cup 2025

Starting 21st June, the riverside city of Aktobe in western Kazakhstan will host a nine-round classical open tournament with a whopping $100,000 prize fund up for grabs.

Three players can qualify through a series of tournaments held only on Lichess. They will have their flights, full board, and accommodation in Aktobe covered for them -- as well as a share of a $2,000 prize fund for the online qualifier.

The Lichess qualifier will have three stages. The first will comprise open-entry arena tournaments, aimed especially towards the timezones of North and South America, Europe, and Central Asia / India.

The top 25 players from each arena will then play a single 11-round Swiss tournament, where they may be joined by up to ten wildcard players.

Finally, the top seven finishers from the Swiss tournament will be joined by a wildcard player, and the qualifiers will be determined by single-encounter round-robin.

Everyone who makes it to the round-robin stage will receive a share of a $2,000 prize fund.

Prize fund

The Kazakhstan Chess Federation has contributed $2,000 towards the online prize fund, a share of which will be awarded to everyone who qualifies to the round-robin stage of the qualifier, broken down as follows:

• 1st place – $400 & qualification to Aktobe , expenses covered.
• 2nd place - $350 & qualification to Aktobe , expenses covered.
• 3rd place - $300 & qualification to Aktobe , expenses covered.
• 4th place - $250.
• 5th - 8th - $175 each

Schedule and regulations

Eight first-stage arenas will be held online. Each arena will be two hours long, with a time control of 3+0. Berserk will be allowed. The top 25 players from each arena will qualify to the second stage. Players may enter multiple arenas as long as they have not already qualified.

• Arena 1: Wednesday 21 May, 14:00 UTC
• Arena 2: Wednesday 21 May, 19:00 UTC
• Arena 3: Thursday 22 May, 10:00 UTC
• Arena 4: Thursday 22 May, 16:00 UTC
• Arena 5: Thursday 22 May, 23:59 UTC
• Arena 6: Friday 23 May, 18:00 UTC
• Arena 7: Saturday 24 May. 06:00 UTC
• Arena 8: Saturday 24 May, 14:30 UTC

In the second stage, a single Swiss tournament will be held for at least 200 players. This will be an 11-round tournament with a time control of 5+2. The top seven players from the tournament will qualify for the third (round-robin) stage.

• Swiss Qualifier: Sunday 25th May, 14:00 UTC

A single encounter Round Robin tournament for the top seven players from the Swiss tournament, plus a Lichess wildcard. The time control will be 10+2

• Round Robin Stage: Sunday 1st June, 14:00 UTC

All players in the round-robin stage will be required to join an online call with FIDE arbiters. Lichess also reserves the right to ask for this at earlier stages.Interested players should read the full regulations carefully. All qualifier participants will be assumed to have consented to the regulations, which can be found here.

If you would like to be considered for a wildcard spot for either the Swiss or round-robin stages, please complete this online form. Wildcards will be decided based on a combination of factors, including age, rating, and current playing opportunities. All wildcard decisions are final and made solely at the discretion of Lichess.

About the Kazakhstan Cup

The Kazakhstan Cup is a series of tournaments held in Kazakhstan and organised by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. These qualifier events are possible thanks to the generosity of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.

The tournament held in Aktobe will be a nine-round event with a time control of 90+30. The full regulations of the event are available here.