Shock Exit: World Champion D Gukesh Crashes Out of Chess World Cup 2025, Indians Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi Shine
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In a stunning upset, World Chess Champion D Gukesh has exited the FIDE World Cup 2025 after losing to Frederik Svane of Germany in the third round. The Indian grandmaster's defeat came as a result of a misplaced Italian opening, which led to a worse knight-and-pawns endgame. Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa have made it to the last-32 stage, securing their spots with convincing wins over Shamsiddin Vokhidov of Uzbekistan and Robert Hovhannisyan of Armenia, respectively. Other Indian players, including Grandmasters P Harikrishna and V Pranav, have also advanced to the next round, eliminating Daniel Dardha of Belgium and Titas Stremavicius of Lithuania with 1.5-0.5 margins. Diptayan Ghosh, however, has been eliminated after losing to Armenian Gabriel Sargissian in the second game of the third round. Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa's performances have been impressive, with Erigaisi securing a draw in his first game and Pranav winning with white pieces on Friday before drawing with black pieces in the second game. Their success has brought hope for the Indian chess team as they look to make a strong showing in the tournament.
