Karthik Venkataraman Beats Deac, Advances to Fourth Round of FIDE World Cup

India, Nov 10 : Indian Grandmaster M. Karthik Venkataraman extended his impressive run at the FIDE World Cup 2025, defeating Romania’s GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac in the second rapid tiebreaker to advance to the fourth round on Sunday.

After drawing the first rapid game with white, Karthik capitalized on his extra bishop in the second game with black, forcing Deac’s king into a corner and securing victory in 43 moves. “The classical game against Deac wasn’t too well for me, but I managed to defend. In the rapid games, I played better, and the second one went smoothly,” Karthik said. He will now face Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem in the next round.

Reflecting on the high-pressure format, Karthik added, “Chess players are not used to this knockout style. Normally, it’s Swiss or round-robin, where you can relax a bit. Here, every game carries the risk of elimination, which is tough to handle.”

With Karthik’s win, five Indian players will be in action in the fourth round, as the competition intensifies after a rest day on Monday.

However, the day brought heartbreak for Vidit Gujrathi and Narayanan SL. Vidit initially defeated Sam Shankland in the opening rapid game but succumbed to mistakes in the subsequent tiebreakers, losing the match 2.5-3.5. Narayanan SL was edged out by Chinese GM Yu Yangyi after a marathon 125-move encounter, with the second game ending in a draw.

Round 3 Tiebreak Results (Indian Players):

GM Karthik Venkataraman bt GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (ROU) 2.5-1.5

GM Narayanan SL lost to GM Yu Yangyi (CHN) 1.5-2.5

GM Vidit Gujrathi lost to GM Sam Shankland (USA) 2.5-3.5

Karthik’s victory marks a significant milestone in India’s campaign at the FIDE World Cup, keeping hopes alive for a deep run in the prestigious tournament.