Post by : Meena
Hassan
The Chess World Cup 2025 has been marked by a notable incident on Friday during the third-round match between Lithuanian Grandmaster Titas Stremavicius and Indian Grandmaster Pranav V. Stremavicius submitted a formal complaint against Pranav for neglecting to record several moves on his scoresheet, which breaches the tournament rules requiring all players to document each move.
The situation prompted the involvement of a third arbiter to help mediate the dispute. Following a thorough review, the arbiters issued a warning to Pranav before allowing the game to continue. Ultimately, Pranav managed to secure a win and currently leads the match.
Commenting on the issue, Pranav mentioned, “I was unaware that I couldn’t make, like, three moves without writing them down.” He further explained that the oversight was unintentional.
Indian players maintained their impressive form in the tournament on Friday. Both Arjun Erigaisi and Pentala Harikrishna enjoyed victories while playing with the white pieces. Erigaisi defeated Uzbekistan’s Shamsiddin Vokhidov in a mere 30 moves, while Harikrishna achieved victory over Belgium’s Daniel Dardha in just 25 moves.
Harikrishna provided insights from his match, stating, “I had prepared something new, and while I had assistance, I struggled to remember all the moves in that variation. However, I executed some clever tactics, and my opponent overlooked certain moves, not fully understanding the danger he was in during the game.”
In contrast, reigning World Champion D Gukesh settled for a draw in his first game of Round 3 while playing with the black pieces.
The FIDE World Cup 2025, a fiercely competitive knockout event, features 206 participants from 82 nations. Noteworthy names such as Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wesley So, and Hans Niemann have already been knocked out. India is represented strongly, with 10 players moving on to the third round, highlighting the nation’s growing stature in global chess.
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