World Cup 2025 Begins in Goa: Anand Honored, Young Talents Shine
The FIDE World Cup 2025 officially began in Goa with great excitement and energy. The first round kicked off at 3 PM at the beautiful Baga Resort Rio convention centre. The event will run for a month and features 206 of the world’s top chess players, all fighting for three precious spots in the Candidates Tournament — the gateway to the World Chess Championship.
The First Move
The round began with the traditional first move ceremony. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich played 1.e4 for GM Jeffery Xiong (USA), while AICF President Nitin Narang mirrored the move for India’s GM Pranav V.
Since the top 50 seeds automatically advance to Round 2, 78 exciting games were played in the opening round.
Young Star Makes His Mark
One of the highlights came from Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, the world’s youngest grandmaster at just 14 years old. The Turkish prodigy defeated CM Nagi Abugenda (Libya) with an attacking masterpiece in the Exchange French Defence.
Erdogmus unleashed a bold sacrifice, 10…Nce5!, that completely turned the game in his favor. His opponent couldn’t stop the attack and soon resigned.
“I thought it would be a long game,” Yagiz said. “But after he played aggressively, I saw knight e5 and knew it was over.”
Battle of the Prodigies
On board two, GM Jeffery Xiong (USA) faced 12-year-old CM Li Yiheng (Hong Kong). Despite the huge rating gap, the young talent fought bravely before Xiong finally converted in a long endgame.
Xiong praised his opponent: “He’s a real prodigy. I had to play very carefully.”
Strong Performances by the Veterans
GM Maxim Rodshtein (Israel) scored a clean win as Black against CM Qin Oscar Shu Xuan (New Zealand), while England’s veteran GM Michael Adams showed perfect technique to win a tough queen endgame.
GM Vladislav Artemiev (FIDE) also impressed, trapping his opponent’s queen in a brilliant tactical idea that drew admiration from fans online.
A Sparkling Win by Pranesh M.
India’s GM Pranesh M. delivered one of the best games of the day. Facing IM Satbek Akhmedinov (Kazakhstan), Pranesh found the only winning move in a complicated position — the stunning 47.Qg7!!. The move left his opponent helpless, and the Indian star clinched a memorable victory.
Surprises and Upsets
The day also brought a few surprises. GM Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra (Chile) was upset by IM Agibileg Uurtsaikh (Mongolia) in a tricky endgame.
Several underdogs managed to hold strong grandmasters to draws:
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FM Mohan Kavin (Malaysia) drew with GM Robert Hovhannisyan (Armenia).
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IM Reja Neer Manon (Bangladesh) held GM Aryan Tari (Norway).
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FM Daniel Barrish (South Africa) impressed by drawing against Goa’s GM Raunak Sadhwani after 56 moves.
Divya Deshmukh’s Tough Start
India’s GM Divya Deshmukh, the reigning Women’s World Cup Champion, lost her first game to GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (Greece). She played bravely, sacrificing a pawn for attacking chances, but one small mistake in time pressure cost her the game. She’ll look to strike back in Game 2.
Kourkoulos-Arditis commented afterward, “It was funny to see so many cameras behind me. But in the end, it’s all the same — just chess.”
Anand Honored with a New Trophy
A special moment came when FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and AICF President Nitin Narang presented the new “Viswanathan Anand Cup” to the legendary five-time World Champion.
Narang said,
This trophy celebrates the incredible legacy of Vishy the King and the rise of Indian chess.
Anand smiled and shared his memories:
I’m proud to have a trophy in my name. Goa is special — I won my National Junior title here 42 years ago. It feels like home.
What’s Next
Round 1, Game 2 will be played on November 2 at 3 PM local time.
Fans can follow the live action on the FIDE YouTube Channel, with commentary from GMs Evgenij Miroshnichenko and Jan Gustafsson.
Photos: Michal Walusza, Eteri Kublashvili, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
