New Delhi: Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and P Harikrishna are preparing for significant challenges as the fourth round of the FIDE World Cup resumes after the first rest day. All three have advanced with strong performances and now face opponents known for their experience and creativity.
Arjun, India’s highest-rated player at the event, enters the round as the favourite against veteran Hungarian Peter Leko. The Indian star has been in commanding form, winning both his earlier matches under classical time control without needing tiebreaks. His victories over Martin Petrov and Shamsiddin Vokhidov showcased his readiness to navigate sharp and complex positions. Leko, who once stood among the world’s elite, has also progressed confidently, registering straight wins over Bobby Cheng and Kirill Alekseenko. The pairing offers an intriguing generational contrast, made even more interesting by the fact that Leko’s long-time student Vincent Keymer has also reached the same stage.
Praggnanandhaa faces an inventive and unpredictable challenge in Daniil Dubov, a player known for his original ideas and speed in shorter formats. Dubov advanced through two lengthy tiebreak battles, while the Indian prodigy steadied himself after an early scare in the second round before defeating Robert Hovhannisyan in the next stage.
Harikrishna, the most seasoned among the Indian trio, takes on Sweden’s Nils Grandelius. His journey so far has been calm and methodical, marked by solid victories over Arseniy Nesterov and Daniel Dardha. His approach of pressing with white and defending reliably with black has worked well, and he will rely on his vast experience as the matches grow tighter.
Young talents V Pranav and Venkatraman Karthik have also delivered impressive breakthroughs, making it to the fourth round after notable wins. Pranav dismissed Titas Stremavicius with an early victory, while Karthik defeated both Aravindh Chithambaram and Bogdan-Daniel Deac to set up a clash with Le Quang Liem.
In earlier action, world champion D Gukesh exited the event after losing to Germany’s Frederik Svane in a tense endgame, while several other Indian players secured their spots in the last 32 with controlled performances.
