India’s chess contingent is making a significant impact at the World Cup, with six players already securing their spots in the second round and five more vying for advancement in upcoming tie-breakers. It’s a promising display from the nation’s rising and established stars.
Leading this charge with remarkable conviction is V. Pranav, the highest-ranked Indian player not automatically seeded into the second round. Displaying exceptional skill, the reigning World Junior Champion needed only a draw in his second game against Algeria’s Ala Eddine Boulrens but instead clinched another victory, securing a dominant 2-0 win in their mini-match.
Joining Pranav in the second round are fellow Indian talents M. Pranesh, Raunak Sadhwani, P. Iniyan, the seasoned Surya Shekhar Ganguly, and Karthik Venkataraman. Notably, Ganguly, much like Pranesh, achieved a flawless performance by defeating Ahmad Ahmadzada of Azerbaijan.
The day also witnessed a resilient comeback from Kolkata’s Aronyak Ghosh. After an initial loss, he faced a must-win scenario against his higher-rated Polish opponent, Mateusz Bartel. Ghosh rose to the occasion, securing a crucial victory that forced their contest into a tie-breaker.
The upcoming shootout will also feature S.L. Narayanan, R. Raja Rithvik, Diptayan Ghosh, and M.R. Lalith Babu. However, there was disappointment for local favorite Leon Mendonca, who was eliminated after a surprising loss to China’s Wang Shixu, a player rated more than 200 points below him.
Divya Deshmukh, the sole female participant from India in the World Cup, also concluded her journey, falling 0-2 to Greece’s Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis.
Meanwhile, other top-rated international players who successfully advanced to the second round include Turkey’s Yagiz Erdogmus, American Jeffrey Xiong, Maxim Rodshtein of Israel, Vladislav Artemiev of Russia, and England’s Michael Adams.
Key First Round Results:
- Yagiz Erdogmus (Turkey) defeated Nagi Abugenda (Libya) 2-0
- Jeffrey Xiong (USA) defeated Li Yiheng (Hong Kong) 1.5-0.5
- Maxim Rodshtein (Israel) defeated Qin Oscar Shu Xuan (New Zealand) 2-0
- Vladislav Artemiev (Russia) defeated Heskeil Ndahangwapo (Namibia) 2-0
- Michael Adams (England) defeated Alrehaili Ahmed Abdullah (Saudi Arabia) 2-0
- V. Pranav (India) defeated Ala Eddine Boulrens (Algeria) 2-0
- Raunak Sadhwani (India) defeated Daniel Barrish (South Africa) 1.5-0.5
- Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) defeated Jaloliddin Ilkhomi (Tajikistan) 2-0
- M. Pranesh (India) drew with Satbek Akhmedinov (Kazakhstan) 1.5-0.5
- Wang Shixu (China) defeated Leon Mendonca (India) 1.5-0.5
- S.L. Narayanan (India) drew with Steven Rojas (Peru) 1-1 (tie-breaker pending)
- Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (Greece) defeated Divya Deshmukh (India) 2-0
- Pa. Iniyan (India) drew with Dylan Isidro Berdayes Ason (Cuba) 1.5-0.5
- Georg Meier (Uruguay) defeated Neelash Saha (India) 1.5-0.5
- Mustafa Yilmaz (Turkey) defeated G.B. Harshavardhan (India) 1.5-0.5
- Aronyak Ghosh (India) drew with Mateusz Bartel (Poland) 1-1 (tie-breaker pending)
- Vasil Ivanchuk (Ukraine) drew with Mohammad Fahad Rahman (Bangladesh) 1.5-0.5
- R. Raja Rithvik (India) drew with Kazybek Nogerbek (Kazakhstan) 1-1 (tie-breaker pending)
- Diptayan Ghosh (India) drew with Peng Xiongjian (China) 1-1 (tie-breaker pending)
- Surya Shekhar Ganguly (India) defeated Ahmad Ahmadzada (Azerbaijan) 2-0
- M.R. Lalith Babu (India) drew with Max Warmerdam (Netherlands) 1-1 (tie-breaker pending)
- Karthik Venkataraman (India) defeated Roberto García Pantoja (Cuba) 1.5-0.5
- Andy Woodward (USA) defeated Himal Gusain (India) 2-0