CHESS · WORLD CUP · BAKU
Chess World Cup 2015 prize money
$1,600,000 paid to all 128 players in Baku, 10 September 2015 to 5 October 2015. Sergey Karjakin won it and was paid $120,000, and the 64 players out in the first round were paid $6,000 each.
PAID OUT $1.6m
THE WINNER $120,000
PLAYERS PAID 128
FIRST ROUND $6,000
What each round paid
One player's prize for going out at each stage
| Went out | Players | Each | Between them |
|---|---|---|---|
| WINNER | 1 | $120,000 | $120,000 |
| Runner-up | 1 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Semi-finals | 2 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| Quarter-finals | 4 | $35,000 | $140,000 |
| Round 4 | 8 | $25,000 | $200,000 |
| Round 3 | 16 | $16,000 | $256,000 |
| Round 2 | 32 | $10,000 | $320,000 |
| Round 1 | 64 | $6,000 | $384,000 |
Where the money went, round by round
The first round cost FIDE $384,000, 24% of the pot, against 7.5% for the winner. A knockout pays its first-round losers more between them than it pays its champion, because there are so many more of them.
Every player paid in Baku
All 128 players, by what they won
| Player | Federation | Went out | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergey Karjakin | Russia | Winner | $120,000 |
| Peter Svidler | Russia | Runner-up | $80,000 |
| Anish Giri | Netherlands | Semi-finals | $50,000 |
| Pavel Eljanov | Ukraine | Semi-finals | $50,000 |
| Hikaru Nakamura | United States | Quarter-finals | $35,000 |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | France | Quarter-finals | $35,000 |
| Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | Azerbaijan | Quarter-finals | $35,000 |
| Wei Yi | China | Quarter-finals | $35,000 |
| Ding Liren | China | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Dmitry Andreikin | Russia | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Dmitry Jakovenko | Russia | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Fabiano Caruana | United States | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Michael Adams | England | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Radosław Wojtaszek | Poland | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Veselin Topalov | Bulgaria | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Wesley So | United States | Round 4 | $25,000 |
| Alexander Areshchenko | Ukraine | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Alexander Grischuk | Russia | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Anton Kovalyov | Canada | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Evgeny Tomashevsky | Russia | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Gadir Guseinov | Azerbaijan | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Ian Nepomniachtchi | Russia | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Julio Granda | Peru | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Lê Quang Liêm | Vietnam | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Leinier Domínguez | Cuba | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Lu Shanglei | China | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Peter Leko | Hungary | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| S. P. Sethuraman | India | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Teimour Radjabov | Azerbaijan | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Vasyl Ivanchuk | Ukraine | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Vladimir Kramnik | Russia | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Yu Yangyi | China | Round 3 | $16,000 |
| Alexander Ipatov | Turkey | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Alexander Motylev | Russia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Alexander Onischuk | United States | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Anton Korobov | Ukraine | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Bassem Amin | Egypt | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra | Chile | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Csaba Balogh | Hungary | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| David Navara | Czechia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Ernesto Inarkiev | Russia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Gabriel Sargissian | Armenia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Hou Yifan | China | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Hrant Melkumyan | Armenia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Igor Lysyj | Russia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Ilya Smirin | Israel | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Laurent Fressinet | France | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Lázaro Bruzón | Cuba | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Levon Aronian | Armenia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu | Germany | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Maxim Rodshtein | Israel | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn | Vietnam | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Nikita Vitiugov | Russia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Pentala Harikrishna | India | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Rauf Mamedov | Azerbaijan | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Sam Shankland | United States | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Sandro Mareco | Argentina | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Sergei Zhigalko | Belarus | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Viktor Láznička | Czechia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Vladimir Fedoseev | Russia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Vladislav Artemiev | Russia | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Wang Hao | China | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Wen Yang | China | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Yuri Vovk | Ukraine | Round 2 | $10,000 |
| Adhiban Baskaran | India | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ahmed Adly | Egypt | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Aleksey Goganov | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Alexander Moiseenko | Ukraine | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Alexandr Fier | Brazil | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Amir Zaibi | Tunisia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Andrei Volokitin | Ukraine | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ante Brkić | Croatia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Arthur Ssegwanyi | Uganda | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Boris Gelfand | Israel | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Boris Grachev | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Constantin Lupulescu | Romania | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| David Antón Guijarro | Spain | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Denis Khismatullin | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Deysi Cori | Peru | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Dragan Šolak | Turkey | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Eduardo Iturrizaga | Venezuela | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Eltaj Safarli | Azerbaijan | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Emre Can | Turkey | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ermes Espinosa Veloz | Cuba | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Evgeniy Najer | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Federico Perez Ponsa | Argentina | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Gata Kamsky | United States | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Igor Kovalenko | Latvia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ilia Iljiushenok | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suárez | Cuba | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ivan Bukavshin | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ivan Cheparinov | Bulgaria | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ivan Popov | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ivan Šarić | Croatia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| M. R. Lalith Babu | India | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Mariya Muzychuk | Ukraine | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Mateusz Bartel | Poland | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Max Illingworth | Australia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Maxim Matlakov | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Michael Wiedenkeller | Luxembourg | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Miloš Perunović | Serbia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ni Hua | China | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Oladapo Adu | Nigeria | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Parham Maghsoodloo | Iran | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Pouya Idani | Iran | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Rafael Leitão | Brazil | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ray Robson | United States | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Richmond Phiri | Zambia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Rinat Jumabayev | Kazakhstan | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Robert Kempiński | Poland | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Romain Édouard | France | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Rustam Kasimdzhanov | Uzbekistan | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Salem Saleh | United Arab Emirates | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Samuel Sevian | United States | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Samvel Ter-Sahakyan | Armenia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Sanan Sjugirov | Russia | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Surya Shekhar Ganguly | India | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Tamir Nabaty | Israel | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Tomas Krnan | Canada | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Varuzhan Akobian | United States | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Vasif Durarbayli | Azerbaijan | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Vidit Gujrathi | India | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Viorel Iordachescu | Moldova | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Yuniesky Quesada | Cuba | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Yusup Atabayev | Turkmenistan | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Zhao Jun | China | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Zhou Jianchao | China | Round 1 | $6,000 |
| Ziaur Rahman | Bangladesh | Round 1 | $6,000 |
The two beaten semi-finalists were paid the same, because there was no match for third place until 2019.
Chess World Cup 2015 by federation
What each federation's players took home
Frequently asked questions
How much prize money was there at the Chess World Cup 2015?
$1,600,000, paid to all 128 players in Baku from 10 September 2015 to 5 October 2015.
How much did Sergey Karjakin win at the Chess World Cup 2015?
$120,000, 7.5% of the pot. Peter Svidler was paid $80,000 as runner-up.
How much did a first-round loser get at the Chess World Cup 2015?
$6,000. 64 players went out in the first round, and they took $384,000 between them, 24% of the pot.
Did the Chess World Cup 2015 pay more than 2013?
No. Both paid $1,600,000.
Which country won the most at the Chess World Cup 2015?
Russia, whose 23 players took $428,000 between them.
Where to next
The players paid in Baku, and every other World Cup
Paid in Baku
- Sergey Karjakin
- Peter Svidler
- Anish Giri
- Pavel Eljanov
- Hikaru Nakamura
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
- Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
- Wei Yi
- Ding Liren
- Dmitry Andreikin
- Dmitry Jakovenko
- Fabiano Caruana
- Michael Adams
- Radosław Wojtaszek
- Veselin Topalov
- Wesley So
- Alexander Areshchenko
- Alexander Grischuk
- Anton Kovalyov
- Evgeny Tomashevsky
- Gadir Guseinov
- Ian Nepomniachtchi
- Julio Granda
- Lê Quang Liêm
- Leinier Domínguez
- Lu Shanglei
- Peter Leko
- S. P. Sethuraman
- Teimour Radjabov
- Vasyl Ivanchuk
- Vladimir Kramnik
- Yu Yangyi
- Alexander Ipatov
- Alexander Motylev
- Alexander Onischuk
- Anton Korobov
- Bassem Amin
- Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra
- Csaba Balogh
- David Navara
- Ernesto Inarkiev
- Gabriel Sargissian
- Hou Yifan
- Hrant Melkumyan
- Igor Lysyj
- Ilya Smirin
- Laurent Fressinet
- Lázaro Bruzón
- Levon Aronian
- Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu
- Maxim Rodshtein
- Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn
- Nikita Vitiugov
- Pentala Harikrishna
- Rauf Mamedov
- Sam Shankland
- Sandro Mareco
- Sergei Zhigalko
- Viktor Láznička
- Vladimir Fedoseev
- Vladislav Artemiev
- Wang Hao
- Wen Yang
- Yuri Vovk
- Adhiban Baskaran
- Ahmed Adly
- Aleksey Goganov
- Alexander Moiseenko
- Alexandr Fier
- Amir Zaibi
- Andrei Volokitin
- Ante Brkić
- Boris Gelfand
- Boris Grachev
- Constantin Lupulescu
- David Antón Guijarro
- Denis Khismatullin
- Deysi Cori
- Eduardo Iturrizaga
- Eltaj Safarli
- Emre Can
- Evgeniy Najer
- Federico Perez Ponsa
- Gata Kamsky
- Igor Kovalenko
- Ilia Iljiushenok
- Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suárez
- Ivan Cheparinov
- Ivan Popov
- Ivan Šarić
- Mariya Muzychuk
- Mateusz Bartel
- Maxim Matlakov
- Parham Maghsoodloo
- Pouya Idani
- Rafael Leitão
- Ray Robson
- Rinat Jumabayev
- Rustam Kasimdzhanov
- Salem Saleh
- Samuel Sevian
- Sanan Sjugirov
- Surya Shekhar Ganguly
- Tamir Nabaty
- Varuzhan Akobian
- Vasif Durarbayli
- Vidit Gujrathi
- Ziaur Rahman
Every other World Cup
Federations
- Russia
- China
- United States
- Ukraine
- Azerbaijan
- France
- Netherlands
- India
- Cuba
- Poland
- Armenia
- Israel
- Bulgaria
- Vietnam
- Hungary
- England
- Canada
- Peru
- Turkey
- Czechia
- Egypt
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Croatia
- Iran
- Chile
- Germany
- Belarus
- Tunisia
- Romania
- Spain
- Venezuela
- Latvia
- Australia
- Serbia
- Zambia
- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Moldova
- Bangladesh