Four Indian players advanced to the fourth round of the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Panaji, while World Champion Gukesh D faced elimination.World champion Gukesh D’s tournament journey ended against Frederik Svane. After a draw with black pieces in the first game, Gukesh’s attempt to win the second game backfired when Svane overcame time pressure and forced Gukesh’s resignation in a knight-pawn ending.R Praggnanandhaa secured victory against Armenia’s GM Robert Hovhannisyan by capitalizing on a mid-game advantage. After drawing the first game with black pieces and surviving a challenging position, Praggnanandhaa executed a strategic plan, gaining control by move 27 through queen and rook pressure on black’s king. The Armenian player resigned after 42 moves.The tournament features 206 players from 82 countries competing for the Viswanathan Anand Cup in a single-elimination knockout format. Ten Indian players qualified for the third round.Harikrishna progressed to the next round first among Indians after a quick draw against Belgium’s GM Daniel Dardha, following his win with white pieces in the first game. GM Arjun Erigaisi and World Junior Champion GM Pranav V also advanced after securing draws with black pieces.Top-seeded foreign player Anish Giri was eliminated after losing to GM Alexander Donchenko in 47 moves with black pieces in the second game.Arjun’s next challenge will be Hungarian GM Peter Leko, who achieved victory in both games against GM Kirill Alekseenko in Round 3.GM Vidit Gujrathi, Karthik Venkataraman, and GM Narayanan S will proceed to tiebreaks on Sunday after drawing both games in their respective matches.
FIDE World Cup 2025: Indian Results (Round 3, Game 2)
- GM Gukesh D lost to GM Frederik Svane (GER) (0.5:1.5 aggregate)
- GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB) drew with GM Arjun Erigaisi (0.5:1.5 aggregate)
- GM R Praggnanandhaa vs GM Robert Hovhannisyan (ARM) (1.5:0.5 aggregate)
- GM Daniel Dardha (BEL) drew with GM P Harikrishna (0.5:1.5 aggregate)
- GM Titas Stremavicius (LTU) drew GM Pranav V (0.5:1.5 aggregate)
- GM Grabriel Sargissian (ARM) bt GM Diptayan Ghosh (1.5:0.5 aggregate)
- GM Yu Yangyi (CHN) drew with GM Narayanan S (0.5:0.5 aggregate)
- GM Vidit Gujrathi drew with GM Sam Shankland (USA) (0.5:0.5 aggregate)
- GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (ROU) drew with GM Karthik Venkatraman (0.5:0.5 aggregate)
- GM Pranesh M lost to GM Vincent Keymer (GER) (0.5:1.5 aggregate)
