FIDE World Cup 2025: Pranav, Pranesh, Ganguly shine as India make strong start; Divya Deshmukh falls short in opener
PNS Bureau:- India made a confident start at the FIDE World Cup 2025, with GMs Pranav V, Pranesh M, and Surya Shekhar Ganguly registering impressive victories in their opening-round encounters on Saturday.
World Junior Champion Pranav V defeated Algeria’s IM Ala Eddine Boulrens with a commanding performance in the Slav Defence, while Ganguly outplayed Azerbaijan’s GM Ahmad Ahmadzada in 37 moves using the Ruy Lopez. Pranesh M also cruised to victory over Kazakhstan’s IM Satbek Akhmedinov in 48 moves.
Among others, Leon Luke Mendonca, Raunak Sadhwani, Narayanan SL, and Karthik Venkataraman were held to draws, while Iniyan Pa scored a fine win over Cuba’s GM Dylan Berdayes.
On the women’s side, Divya Deshmukh went down fighting against higher-rated Greek GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis, resigning after 41 moves despite a spirited defence.
The 12-day knockout event, featuring 206 players from 82 countries, will determine the winner of the prestigious Viswanathan Anand Cup.
Indian results (Round 1 – Game 1):
Pranav V 1–0 Boulrens (ALG); Pranesh M 1–0 Akhmedinov (KAZ); Ganguly 1–0 Ahmadzada (AZE); Iniyan Pa 1–0 Berdayes (CUB); Mendonca 0.5–0.5 Wang (CHN); Sadhwani 0.5–0.5 Barrish (RSA); Narayanan SL 0.5–0.5 Rojas (PER); Karthik Venkataraman 0.5–0.5 Pantoja (CUB); Aronyak Ghosh 0–1 Bartel (POL); Divya Deshmukh 0–1 Kourkoulos-Arditis (GRE); Himal Gusain 0–1 Woodward (USA); Neelash Saha 0–1 Meier (URU).(PNS)
