Goa: Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh delivered the biggest shock of the World Chess Cup with a commanding victory over former world championship finalist Ian Nepomniachtchi in the second round. Ghosh won the second classical game of the match to knock out the Russian star in a result that immediately became the highlight of the tournament.
The game turned sharply in Ghosh’s favour early in the middlegame when Nepomniachtchi, playing with the white pieces, overlooked a straightforward tactical idea and dropped a pawn. From that moment, Ghosh maintained complete control. He simplified the position methodically, exchanging pieces at key moments and guiding the game into a favourable rook ending. Nepomniachtchi, struggling to find counterplay, could not recover as Ghosh converted the advantage with precision.
Calling the result the most significant victory of his career, Ghosh said he had never imagined defeating Nepomniachtchi in a knockout match at this stage.
India enjoyed a strong day overall. Grandmaster P Harikrishna became the first Indian to reach the third round after a smooth win over Arseniy Nesterov. World junior champion V Pranav, however, suffered a setback against Aryan Tari. The loss forces their match into tiebreaks after Pranav, who had the advantage of winning with black in the first game, lost momentum and allowed Tari to level the score.
Top seeded Indian Arjun Erigaisi continued his impressive run, securing a second consecutive victory, this time against Bulgarian player Martin Petrov. Arjun kept firm control from the start as Petrov spent valuable time searching for complications. A lost pawn in the endgame sealed Petrov’s fate.
World Champion D Gukesh also advanced to the third round after defeating Nogerbek Kazybek of Kazakhstan. Gukesh, playing with black, built pressure from the early middlegame and gradually increased his edge until the position became decisive.
R Praggnanandhaa will head into tiebreaks after drawing both his classical games against Temur Kuybokarov. The second game saw Praggnanandhaa try the Pirc with fighting intent, yet Kuybokarov neutralised the pressure and the players split the point after 46 moves.
Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Aronyak Ghosh ended their campaigns after losing their respective matches to Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Levon Aronian.
