FIDE World Cup 2025: World junior champion V Pranav, GM Arjun Erigaisi win with black; Vidit survives Oro scare
The FIDE World Cup 2025 kicked off in Panaji, India, with a group of young Indian players making headlines. World Junior Champion V. Pranav and top‑rated GM Arjun Erigasi found quick success, each taking the match when played with the black pieces.
Pranav outplayed Norway’s GM Aryan Tari in 41 moves, while Arjun edged Bulgarian GM Martin Petrov in 37 moves. Both games were decided in the middle‑game, and the two players are now favorites to win the first game of their second‑match pairings as they move forward as the white pieces.
The World Cup is a single‑elimination knockout featuring 206 competitors from 82 countries, all battling for the Viswanathan Anand Cup—India’s championship trophy named after chess legend Vishwanathan Anand. Seventeen Indian players are in Round 2, and eight of them—ranked in the world’s top 50—started this stage after a bye in the opening round.
Arjun kept the pressure on from the start, turning a slight error by Petrov into a decisive victory. “The game was tense in the middle, but after moving to b4 my opponent began to drift,” Arjun said. He praised his team’s ability to capitalize on the moment.
Pranav’s match was even more tactical. Tari opened a path to the board only after he released a pawn on g4 at move 40. Pranav seized the opportunity, launching a flurry of attacks that led to a clean win.
Meanwhile, 31‑year‑old GM Vidit Gujrathi faced a fierce challenge from 12‑year‑old Argentinian prodigy Faustino Oro. With just 38 minutes left after eleven moves, Vidit fought back through repetition to secure a draw. Oro chose a solid style, sidestepping an attack by moving his rook away from the front line, which allowed Vidit to hold his ground.
Other Indian players also made their mark. Ghosh drew with veteran GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, while Gukesh D and Praggnanandhaa both earned draws against Ghosh’s opponents. Surya Shekhar Ganguly defeated France’s GM Maxime Vachier‑Lagrave, and GM Levon Aronian won a game against Indonesian IM Aronyak Ghosh. The rest of the Indian lineup—including Karthik Venkataraman, Arseniy Nesterov, Thai‑Dai‑Van Nguyen, Narayanan SL, Dmitrij Kollars, and Aryan Tari—secured a mix of draws and a few notable wins.
The tournament’s early rounds have already averted surprise upsets, but the knockout format means every game carries high stakes. Angles of Indian chess prowess and individual skill set the stage for what promises to be an exciting remainder of the FIDE World Cup 2025.
Source: ianslive
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