FIDE World Cup: Pranav, Pranesh, Ganguly Shine as India Make Strong Start, Divya Deshmukh Falls After Tough Battle
Young Indian Grandmasters make a strong opening day statement at the Viswanathan Anand Cup, while Divya Deshmukh’s valiant effort falls short against Greece’s GM Stamatis.
India, Nov 3 : India’s campaign at the FIDE World Cup 2025 got off to a promising start on Saturday, with World Junior Champion GM Pranav V, GM Pranesh M, and veteran GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly scoring convincing wins in their opening round matches. However, Divya Deshmukh, the reigning Women’s World Cup champion, went down fighting against Greece’s GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis.
Local favourite GM Leon Luke Mendonca missed conversion chances and had to settle for a draw against China’s IM Shixu B. Wang after 50 moves.
Pranav, India’s highest-ranked player in action on Day 1, displayed excellent control in the Slav Defence to defeat IM Ala Eddine Boulrens of Algeria. Ganguly, employing a Ruy Lopez, outplayed GM Ahmad Ahmadzada of Azerbaijan in 37 moves, while Pranesh defeated Kazakhstan’s IM Satbek Akhmedinov in 48 moves.
The FIDE World Cup 2025, held in Goa, is a single-elimination knockout tournament featuring 206 players from 82 countries, competing for the Viswanathan Anand Cup. The top 50 players received a bye in the opening round, giving India’s emerging stars a chance to shine on home soil.
Divya Deshmukh, the only Indian woman in the fray, fought valiantly despite an early blunder on the 17th move. She battled hard to reach a rook-and-pawn ending under time pressure but ultimately succumbed after 41 moves.
Elsewhere, GM Raunak Sadhwani survived a midgame error to draw against South Africa’s FM Daniel Barrish, while GM Iniyan P, GM Karthik Venkataraman, and GM Narayanan SL also began steadily with positive results.
Among international stars, Argentina’s 10-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro impressed by holding Brkic Ante with black pieces, while Turkey’s GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus showcased aggressive play to seal a swift victory against Nagi Abugenda.
Key Indian results (Round 1):
GM Pranav V 1–0 Ala Eddine Boulrens (ALG)
GM Pranesh M 1–0 IM Satbek Akhmedinov (KAZ)
GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly 1–0 GM Ahmad Ahmadzada (AZE)
GM Leon Luke Mendonca 0.5–0.5 IM Shixu B Wang (CHN)
GM Raunak Sadhwani 0.5–0.5 FM Daniel Barrish (RSA)
GM Divya Deshmukh 0–1 GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (GRE)
India’s young brigade will look to carry their winning momentum into the second round as the FIDE World Cup 2025 intensifies.
