The stage is now truly set for the Chess World Cup, with the highly anticipated second round kicking off on Tuesday. This is where the real excitement begins, as all the major chess stars, who received a direct entry into this stage, commence their campaigns at Resort Rio. The demanding knockout format means that even the world’s strongest Grandmasters must be at their absolute best, as any significant error could lead to elimination.
Fans can look forward to seeing India’s brightest talents, including D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and Aravindh Chithambaram, alongside renowned international figures like Anish Giri, Levon Aronian, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, all vying for the coveted title. From the initial round, an impressive nine Indian players have successfully advanced to this crucial second stage.
Six of these Indian players secured their spots by earning at least 1.5 points across their two classical games. The remaining three navigated through intense tie-breaker rounds, which involved faster-paced games designed to test their quick thinking and tactical prowess.
Among the first to confirm his place in the second round was S.L. Narayanan. The Thiruvananthapuram-based Grandmaster comfortably won both of his rapid tie-break games against Steven Rojas of Peru. “The rapid games felt quite straightforward,” Narayanan commented, “but the classical matches were a different story. Rojas played exceptionally well, certainly exceeding his rating.”
Shortly after Narayanan’s decisive 2-0 victory, Diptayan Ghosh also emerged victorious, displaying a confident smile. He replicated Narayanan’s performance, securing an identical 2-0 win against his Chinese opponent, Peng Xiongjian.
Adding to the Indian success, fellow Kolkata native Aronyak Ghosh also advanced. After an initial exchange of wins in the first set of tie-breakers, Aronyak demonstrated superior play in the second set, defeating his higher-rated Polish rival, Mateusz Bartel, with a convincing 2-0 score.
However, not all Indian hopefuls had the same fortune in the tie-breakers. R. Raja Rithvik and M.R. Lalith Babu both faced tough challenges and ultimately lost in the third set of tie-breakers to Kazybek Nogerbek of Kazakhstan and Max Warmerdam of the Netherlands, respectively. Despite their losses, both players showcased commendable fighting spirit, pushing their matches to the very last set.
The day also belonged to 12-year-old Argentine sensation, Faustino Oro. In a remarkable display of talent, the young prodigy overcame Ante Brkic of Croatia, a player 25 years his senior and 69 points higher in rating. Oro triumphed with a 2-0 victory in the third set of tie-breaks, proving that age is just a number in the world of chess.
Important results (First round; tie-break): Robert Hovhannisyan (Arm) bt Kavin Mohan (Mas) 1.5-0.5; S.L. Narayanan bt Steven Rojas (Cub) 2-0; Diptayan Ghosh bt Peng Xiongjian (Chn) 2-0; Aronyak Ghosh bt Mateusz Bartel (Pol) 1-1, 2-0; Kazybek Nogerbek bt (Kaz) bt R. Raja Rithvik 1-1, 1-1, 2-0; Max Warmerdam (Ned) bt M.R. Lalith Babu 1-1, 1-1, 2-0; Faustino Oro (Arg) bt Ante Brkic (Cro) 1-1, 1-1, 2-0.