In the ongoing FIDE World Cup 2025 in Arpora, Goa, the first games of Round 4 saw all five remaining Indian players, including Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa, drawing their respective matches. After three intense rounds, these five are the only Indians left from the initial 24 who started the competition, with notable names like world champion D Gukesh, Divya Deshmukh, Nihal Sarin, and Aravindh Chitambaram already eliminated.
Arjun Erigaisi, the second seed and now the highest-rated player in the fray, agreed to a quick 20-move draw against Hungarian veteran Peter Leko. The game, which lasted barely an hour, saw both players seemingly content with splitting the point. They played the Sicilian Four Knights, and the draw occurred by repetition of moves.
R Praggnanandhaa faced a challenging game against Daniil Dubov, where he had to fight his way back from an inferior position to secure a draw. Dubov missed a tactical opportunity that could have given him the win.
The longest game involving an Indian player was between Pranav Venkatesh, the world junior champion, and Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan. This well-contested game stretched to 82 moves before ending in a draw.
Pentala Harikrishna also drew his game against Nils Grandelius of Sweden in 32 moves. Karthik Venkataraman, the two-time National champion, continued his impressive run by drawing against Le Quang Liem of Vietnam in 36 moves. Karthik, who qualified for the World Cup by winning the National championship twice, has advanced to the fourth round without a coach or trainer. He expressed optimism about his chances in the second game, stating that he managed to draw quite easily despite a slight disadvantage in the opening.
While the Indian players had a day of draws, Levon Aronian of the USA and Jose Martinez Alcantara of Mexico were the only players to secure victories in the first game of Round 4. Aronian defeated Radoslaw Wojtaszek of Poland, while Alcantara won against Alexey Sarana.
With the first games of Round 4 concluded, all eyes are now on the return games, where the Indian players will be aiming to convert their draws into victories and advance further in the FIDE World Cup 2025.
