In the first game of round 2 at the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Arpora, Goa, top Indian grandmasters delivered a mix of draws and victories. D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and Nihal Sarin secured draws, while Arjun Erigaisi and Pranav V claimed wins. The event features 17 Indian players among 128 competitors.
The FIDE World Cup 2025 continued on November 4 in Arpora, Goa, with round 2 game 1 showcasing intense classical chess battles. All top 50 seeds, including several Indians, entered the fray after byes in the opening round. The playing hall was packed with around 500 spectators, including Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who made the ceremonial first move on the Gukesh board alongside five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.
Key Indian Results
- Arjun Erigaisi (2773) defeated Bulgarian GM Martin Petrov (2540) convincingly, crushing his defense to secure a vital win with black pieces in an Italian Game opening. This positions Arjun well for qualification with just a draw needed in game 2.
- Pranav V (2641), the Junior World Champion, beat Norwegian GM Aryan Tari (2631) with black after Tari's blunder on move f4 threatened his queen.
- D Gukesh (2752) drew against Kazakh GM Kazybek Nogerbek (2543) in a five-hour English Opening battle, where Gukesh held a slight advantage but settled for a share of points under time pressure.
- R Praggnanandhaa (2771) was held to a draw by Australian GM Temur Kuybokarov (2535) with black, in a solid Bogo-Indian Defense that remained equal after 35 moves.
- Nihal Sarin (2700) drew with Greek GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (2583) in a tense endgame blitz-like scenario.
- Vidit Gujrathi (2716) drew Argentine IM Faustino Oro (2509) via threefold repetition.
- Other draws included Pa Iniyan vs Thai Dai Van Nguyen, SL Narayanan vs Nikita Vitiugov, Pranesh M vs Dmitrij Kollars, Diptayan Ghosh vs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Pentala Harikrishna vs Arseniy Nesterov, and the all-Indian clash between Karthik Venkataraman and Vr Aravindh Chithambaram.
Losses came for Surya Shekar Ganguly against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and IM Aronyak Ghosh against Levon Aronian, who won in 30 moves. An upset saw fourth seed Anish Giri draw with IM Bojan Maksimovic.
The tournament, streamed on FIDE YouTube, Chess.com, and Chessbase, runs through November 26, with round 2 concluding November 6 including tie-breakers. Anand commented on the lively atmosphere, noting Levon Aronian's early arrival and beach affinity.