World Cup Round 4 Game 1: Aronian and Martínez Shine as the Battles Heat Up in Goa
Round 4 of the 2025 FIDE World Cup began in Goa with intense focus and fine margins. After a rest day, the players returned refreshed, but wins were hard to come by. Out of sixteen classical games, only two ended decisively — yet every single one showed the incredible precision of modern top-level chess.
The stars of the day were Levon Aronian and José Eduardo Martínez Alcántara, who both scored crucial victories. Aronian stunned his opponent Radosław Wojtaszek with a surprise in the Vienna Game, while Martínez once again impressed by defeating Alexey Sarana in brilliant style.
Aronian’s Creative Spark
Levon Aronian proved why he remains one of the most imaginative players in the world. Playing the rare 3.a3!? in the Vienna Game, he took Wojtaszek completely by surprise. The Polish grandmaster never fully recovered, and Aronian smoothly converted his advantage. After the game, Aronian joked about his colorful shirts and his inspiration from India — a stylish win both on and off the board!
Martínez Continues His Dream Run
Peru’s José Eduardo Martínez Alcántara continued his magical run in Goa. Playing with Black against Alexey Sarana, he showed confidence, patience, and great tactical vision.
A small mistake by Sarana allowed Martínez to strike with precision, and he finished the game with flawless technique. In his interview, Martínez thanked his team and spoke about his growth mindset:
“If I train like these guys, I can raise my level and keep improving.”
His calm focus and consistency make him one of the most inspiring stories of this World Cup.
High-Quality Draws Everywhere
Most of the day’s games ended in draws, but they were anything but boring.
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Arjun Erigaisi tried a surprise in the Sicilian Taimanov against Peter Leko, but the Hungarian veteran held steady.
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Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Aleksey Grebnev played a perfectly balanced Petroff Defence.
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Parham Maghsoodloo defended solidly against Wei Yi, showing why he’s one of the most reliable players near the 2700 mark.
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Harikrishna, Le Quang Liem, Karthik Venkataraman, and Donchenko all played precise and disciplined chess, earning well-deserved half points.
Even the draws were full of creativity. Praggnanandhaa and Daniil Dubov produced an exciting tactical duel in a Marshall-type Ruy Lopez, with Dubov missing a possible win in time pressure. Svane, Sargsyan, Yu Yangyi, and Sindarov also delivered accurate, fighting draws that kept fans glued to the screen.
Missed Chances and Great Defenses
A few players like Awonder Liang and Dubov will regret missed opportunities. Others, such as Vincent Keymer, Nodirbek Yakubboev, and Lorenzo Lodici, impressed with their calm defensive play.
At this level, even the smallest mistake can turn a win into a draw — and today proved just that.
What’s Next
With one more classical game remaining before possible tiebreaks, the pressure is on. Tomorrow promises more fighting chess as players battle for a place in Round 5.
FIDE World Cup Game 2 of Round 4 will be played on November 12th at 3 PM (local time). Fans can watch live commentary by GMs Evgenij Miroshnichenko and Jan Gustafsson on the FIDE YouTube Channel.
Chess lovers in Goa can even watch the games live at the Rio Resort.
Photos: Michal Walusza, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
