Indian grandmasters shine in Chess World Cup third round
Arjun Erigaisi dominates Vokhidov; Pranav, Harikrishna win, while Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa draw in crucial matches.
Newsroom, November 08, 2025: Arjun Erigaisi, India's second seed, powered through the third round of the Chess World Cup 2025 with a commanding 30-move victory over Uzbekistan's Shamiddin Vokhidov in their first game of the match, positioning himself for advancement with a potential draw in the second. The win came in a Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Tarrasch variation, where Vokhidov's risky pawn grab on move 22 allowed Erigaisi to launch a decisive knight check after castling, described as a fatal misstep.
Other Indians delivered strong performances: V. Pranav, the reigning world junior champion, triumphed over Lithuania's Titas Stremavicius, while former junior champion P. Harikrishna bested Belgium's Daniel Dardha. M. Pranesh held German Vincent Keymer to a draw, as did S.L. Narayanan against China's Yu Yangyi. Top seed D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa also split points with Frederik Svane of Germany and Robert Hovhannisyan of Armenia, respectively. Mexico's José Martínez Alcántara pulled off a surprise win with black against Uzbekistan's eighth seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
