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Indian GM R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and P. Harikrishna in action during FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 in Goa. (PHOTO: FIDE/Michal Walusza)
The FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 in Goa began with 206 players, including 24 Indians. Now, only three from the host country remain in contention: second seed Arjun Erigaisi, third seed R. Praggnanandhaa, and veteran Pentala Harikrishna. Indian representation dwindled on Wednesday after Pranav V and Karthik Venkataraman crashed out of the competition.
Following a quick 20-move draw in Game 1 of the fourth round, Erigaisi and Peter Leko played another brisk game, blitzing out the first 16 moves. The Hungarian grandmaster was solid in defence, offering the Indian no clear opportunities for a breakthrough and after 36 moves, the pair agreed to a draw.
Leko stated he was not intimidated by Arjun’s opening choice.
“I was getting deeper into my preparations, and wasn’t really afraid of Arjun’s opening line,” he said after the match. “I knew that the b5 move I played was quite solid and that there couldn’t be any miracle in this position. But over the board, when Arjun is blitzing all his moves, I know there is always some pressure. Still, the position was more or less equal the entire time.”
On Board 3, after pressuring Praggnanandhaa in Game 1, Russia’s Daniil Dubov employed another creative opening idea that demanded precision from the 2023 World Cup finalist. Praggnanandhaa delivered, playing with 100 percent accuracy in the opening and forcing Dubov to agree to a draw after 30 moves.
FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 Highlights, Round 4 Game 2: Pranav, Karthik crash out; Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa & Harikrishna left in fray
Swedish GM Nils Grandelius had a much better position against Harikrishna but failed to convert his advantage against the Indian endgame expert. All three Indians will now play for survival in shorter time control tiebreaks on Thursday.
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Underdogs Pranav V and Karthik Venkataraman saw their excellent World Cup runs end when they failed to withstand heightened pressure. Pranav crumbled against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev, while Venkataraman lost to former World Blitz Champion, Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem.
FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 | Results (Indians):
Arjun Erigaisi drew with Peter Leko (HUN); R Praggnanandhaa drew with Daniil Dubov (FID); Pentala Harikrishna drew with GM Nils Grandelius (SWE); Pranav V lost to Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB); Karthik Venkataraman lost to Le Quang Liem (VIE).
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