Baku (Azerbaijan): Indian Grandmasters P Harikrishna and V Pranav cruised into the last 32 stage of the World Chess Cup 2025 after defeating Daniel Dardha of Belgium and Titas Stremavicius of Lithuania respectively, both by an identical 1.5–0.5 scoreline at the end of their second-round clashes on Saturday.
Displaying strong form and composure, Harikrishna was the first Indian to confirm his berth in the next round. Dardha, playing with the white pieces, failed to gain any advantage, and his earlier loss in the opening game proved decisive. The second encounter ended in a draw, sealing Harikrishna’s passage to the next round.
It was a similar story for V Pranav, who comfortably held with black pieces after securing victory in the first game. Despite Stremavicius’ persistent attempts to break through, Pranav defended solidly and forced a draw in a tense rook-and-pawns endgame to advance.
Mixed Fortunes for Indian Contingent
Meanwhile, Diptayan Ghosh’s campaign came to an end after he lost to Armenia’s Gabriel Sargissian. Diptayan, who had stunned Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in the previous round, drew the first game but faltered in the second to go down 0.5–1.5 overall.
Higher-ranked Indian stars Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa also joined the round of 32. Arjun secured his place with a draw against Uzbekistan’s Shamsiddin Vokhidov, having won the first game, while Praggnanandhaa displayed fine tactical play to beat Armenia’s Robert Hovhannisyan after a draw in their opening encounter.
Round Highlights and Key Results
In other key results featuring Indian players:
- D Gukesh advanced past Frederic Svane (Germany).
- S L Narayanan was tied 1–1 with Yangyi Yu (China), pushing their match to tiebreaks.
- Vidit Gujrathi drew 1–1 against Sam Shankland (USA) and will also head to tiebreaks.
- V Karthik was tied 1–1 with Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania).
Among the notable international results, South Korea’s Kim Cheongyong edged Anton Aristarkhov (AIN), while Le Quang Liem (Vietnam) and Jeffery Xiong (USA) advanced with 1.5–0.5 wins.
Impressive Indian Run Continues
India continues to showcase dominance at the World Chess Cup, with multiple players advancing deep into the knockout rounds. The performances of veterans like Harikrishna and rising stars like Pranav, Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun underline the nation’s growing depth in world chess.
With several players still in contention and tiebreaks looming for others, the next stage promises intense battles as India looks to strengthen its presence on the global chess stage.