FIDE World Cup 2025 Round 2.1: Arjun Erigaisi and Pranav Venkatesh score a win
The World Champion, GM D Gukesh started his FIDE World Cup 2025 campaign with a draw against former World Junior champion, GM Kazybek Nogerbek (KAZ). Gukesh had a bind at a certain moment. However, he incorrectly traded his dark-square bishop and allowed his opponent to free up his pieces. Second seed, GM R Praggnanandhaa was held to a solid draw by the Australia no.2, GM Temur Kuybokarov. World no.6, GM Arjun Erigaisi and the reigning World Junior champion, GM Pranav Venkatesh are the only two Indians to win their respective games among 17. GM Diptayan Ghosh had a calm draw against the World Blitz cochampion, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly and IM Aronyak Ghosh lost their games against GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) and GM Levon Aronian (USA). Both are in a must-win situation to avoid elimination. Round 2 Game 2 starts today from 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed
Surya Sekhar Ganguly and Aronyak Ghosh in a must-win situation
Two out of the four IMs managed to draw their first game of Round 2. IM Bojan Maksimovic (BIH) and IM Faustino Oro (ARG) held GM Anish Giri (NED) and GM Vidit Gujrathi to a draw each respectively.
Gukesh - Kazybek: 0.5-0.5
World Champion, GM D Gukesh (2763) faced the former World Junior champion, GM Kazybek Nogerbek (KAZ, 2538) for the first time in a Classical rated game.
Computer suggests 30.Bc3 to give White a decisive advantage because Black's pieces - rook, c8-bishop are stuck. 30.Bc3 avoids the bishop trade and keeps the dark-square long diagonal in White's control. He could have improved his position Kf2, Nd3, f5 as his future plan. Instead, he played 30.Qc3 and allowed the bishop trade Bxd4 31.Qxd4 c5 and Black got to free up his pieces. The game eventually petered out to a draw.
Martin - Arjun
GM Martin Petrov (BUL, 2548) went for 31.c5 break d5 now White should not have undoubled his pawns 32.exd5? instead 32.Qc3 would have kept the game going. 32...Rxd5 33.Qc2 Rcd7 34.Rxd5 Rxd5 35.Rxd5 Nxd5 36.Qc4 Nxb4 37.Qg4?? Qxb3 and Black won as there is no perpetual check due to f7-pawn being protected by the queen at b3.
Praggnanandhaa - Kuybokarov: 0.5-0.5
World no.7, GM R Praggnanandhaa (2768) had played only one Classical rated game against GM Temur Kuybokarov (AUS, 2535) nearly 2.5 years ago. Praggnanandhaa won that game. However, this time the Australia no.2 played solid and did not allow his opponent any chance. The game ended in a draw.
Kovalev - Keymer: 0-1
World no.4, GM Vincent Keymer (GER, 2773) almost fumbled a win against GM Vladislav Kovalev (2557) until the latter made the final mistake.
61.Kf5 would have kept the game going. Instead, 67.h7?? allowed Black to get back in control again. Find out why.
Mamedyarov - Kantor
GM Gergely Kantor (HUN, 2546) wanted to take the game to take GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE, 2742) 13.f4 exf3? 14.Qxf5 Nxe3 15.Qxf3 Nd4! 16.Bxd4 Qh4+ 17.g3 Qxd4 18.Ra2 Ng4? Black had to play 18...Rae8 to maintain the pressure. Moving the knight dissipated the attack and White eventually went on to win the game.
Vachier-Lagrave - Surya: 1-0
GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly (2559) played three Classical rated games against World Blitz 2021 champion, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 2740) before this encounter. All of them ended in draws. This time MVL got an advantage early in the game.
10...g5? provoked 11.e5+- Bb8 12.fxg5 Bxe5 13.Ne4 d5 14.Nf6+ Bxf6 15.gxf6 Ng6 16.c3 Nc6 17.Nf3 Qxf6 18.0-0 Black's position fell apart in a hurry and White went on to win the game.
Aronian - Aronyak
IM Aronyak Ghosh (2520) made a bold decision to play 19...g5!? The priority should have been to drive the c4-rook away immediately as it's intention is to swing to the kingside on the fourth rank which can spell disaster for Black and it did. 20.g3 gxh4 21.Nxe4 fxg3 22.fxg3 Nxe4 23.Rcxe4 Nf6?? 24.d6 instead White could have played 24.Rg4+- immediately. 24...Bxg3 25.Rg4+ Nxg4 26.Qxg4+ Kh8 27.Qd4+ f6 28.Qd2 Rf7 29.Bxf7 Kg7 30.Qd3 and it's over.
Tari - Pranav
GM Aryan Tari (NOR, 2631) blundered 40.g4?? Find out how his opponent, the reigning World Junior champion, GM Pranav Venkatesh (2641) won the game. 41.Rh5 would have put Black in trouble.
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Round 2.1 pairings
GM D Gukesh - GM Kazybek Nogerbek (KAZ): 0.5-0.5
GM Martin Petrov (BUL) - GM Arjun Erigaisi: 0-1
GM R Praggnanandhaa - GM Temur Kuybokarov (AUS): 0.5-0.5
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) - GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly: 1-0
GM Diptayan Ghosh - GM Ian Nepomniachtchi: 0.5-0.5
GM Levon Aronian (USA) - IM Aronyak Ghosh: 1-0
GM Vidit Gujrathi - IM Faustino Oro (ARG): 0.5-0.5
GM Karthik Venkataraman - GM Aravindh Chithambaram: 0.5-0.5
GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (GRE) - GM Nihal Sarin: 0.5-0.5
GM Arseniy Nesterov - GM Pentala Harikrishna: 0.5-0.5
GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen (CZE) - GM Iniyan Pa: 0.5-0.5
GM Pouya Idani (IRI) - GM Karthikeyan Murali: 0.5-0.5
GM S L Narayanan - GM Nikita Vitiugov (ENG): 0.5-0.5
GM Dmitrij Kollars (GER) - GM Pranesh M: 0.5-0.5
GM Aryan Tari (NOR) - GM Pranav Venkatesh: 0-1
GM Robert Hovhanniyan (ARM) - GM Raunak Sadhwani: 0.5-0.5
