FIDE Chess World Cup 2025: Indians make mixed start — draws for the top seeds, sharp wins for others
At the second-round opening games of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 in Goa, India’s chess contingent produced a mixed bag of results. Among 17 Indian players in action in Game 1 of Round 2, 13 were forced into draws — including big names such as D Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi — while notable victories came from Arjun Erigaisi and junior champion V Pranav.
Highlights of the day
· Gukesh, the top Indian seed and reigning World Champion, held his game with Black to a draw against Kazakhstan’s Kazybek Nogerbek.
· Praggnanandhaa likewise drew his opener, against Australia’s Temur Kuybokarov, leaving his campaign evenly poised.
· Vidit was in trouble during his game with 12-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro (nicknamed “Messi of Chess”), and escaped with a draw after considerable time pressure.
· Arjun Erigaisi achieved a sharp and convincing win: he forced his opponent Martin Petrov (Bulgaria) to resign after 37 moves.
· V Pranav pulled off a big upset by defeating Norway’s Aryan Tari — a strong grandmaster who has served as second to world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana.
What’s next for the Indians
· For the players who drew their first game (Gukesh, Pragg, Vidit), the second classical game becomes critical. A win or at least a solid result here will avoid the tiebreaker heat.
· For Erigaisi and Pranav, the momentum is in their favour — they will look to consolidate their early advantage and avoid slipping into must-win situations.
· With 17 Indians still in the field, India remains strongly represented — a testament to the nation’s rising strength in chess.
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