The first game of Round One of the FIDE World Cup began this afternoon at 3:00 PM local time in the Baga Resort Rio’s convention centre in Goa, India. The pristine venue hosted the opening clashes of what promises to be a thrilling month-long event, featuring 206 of the world’s top players battling for three coveted spots in the Candidates Tournament — the final step toward challenging for the World Championship title.
The round opened with the traditional ceremonial first move:
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich played 1.e4 on behalf of GM Jeffery Xiong (USA).
AICF President Nitin Narang mirrored the move for GM Pranav V (India).
According to tournament regulations, the top 50 seeds are automatically qualify for Round 2, meaning 78 games were contested today.
Move of the day
One of the first games to conclude in Round 1 featured the sensational Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, currently rated 2651 and rapidly ascending the world rankings. Born in 2011, the Turkish prodigy is, as of 2025, the youngest grandmaster in the world — and today, he once again demonstrated why.
Facing Candidate Master Nagi Abugenda (Libya, 1972), Erdogmus unleashed a brilliant attacking display in an Exchange French Defence. White, already behind in development and with his king stranded in the centre, was caught in the crossfire of a sharp tactical strike.
From this moment, Black’s attack erupted with the bold sacrifice 10…Nce5!, forking the queen and bishop. The young grandmaster spent only six minutes calculating the sequence.
“I thought this was going to be a long game and that I would win in the endgame,” said Erdogmus afterward. “But then he started to play very aggressively. I think he missed knight e5, and after that he’s just losing.”
After 11.dxe5 Nxe5 (another fork), 12.Qxd5 Be6! followed — a developing move that renewed the attack by targeting the overloaded queen. When White retreated with 13.Qe4, Erdogmus continued energetically with 13…f5!, and after 14.Qe3, he had already foreseen the decisive 14…Bd5!, simultaneously attacking the rook on h1 and threatening 15…Nf3+ winning the queen.
With no way to parry all the threats, Abugenda resigned a few moves later, conceding victory to the young Turkish star in impressive fashion.
On board two, GM Jeffery Xiong (USA, 2648) prevailed in a difficult endgame against CM Li Yiheng (Hong Kong, 1994). Despite the 650-point rating gap, the 12-year-old from Hong Kong played far above his rating, testing the American grandmaster’s technique at every turn.
In his post-game comments, Xiong praised his young opponent’s resilience and talent: “I wasn’t at all surprised because he is a very young player and, as someone who was already giving GMs a tough fight when I was thirteen years old, I knew going in that he was a prodigy and that I should take it very seriously.”
On board three, GM Maxim Rodshtein (Israel, 2647) took the lead in his two-game mini-match against CM Qin Oscar Shu Xuan (New Zealand) with a crisp victory as Black. Rodshtein seized the initiative early, gradually building pressure before launching a decisive kingside attack that left his opponent defenceless.
Meanwhile, on board five, England’s former world top-ten player GM Michael Adams (2646) showcased his renowned technical precision. In a queen endgame, Adams converted his outside passed pawn into a new queen, sealing a clinical victory in trademark style.
Rounding out the top results, GM Vladislav Artemiev (FIDE, 2637) also outplayed CM Heskiel Ndahangwapo of Namibia, trapping his opponent’s queen in the middlegame — a rare tactical motif at this level, and one that drew murmurs of admiration from spectators following the games online.
With so many fascinating games on display, it was impossible not to notice several dazzling moments of creativity. One game, in particular, stood out for its sheer precision and ingenuity.
In his encounter with IM Satbek Akhmedinov (Kazakhstan, 2372), GM Pranesh M. (India, 2630) found the only move to force victory in a razor-sharp position.
In the position, where 47.Bd4+ would have allowed 47…Qxd4, saving the game, and 47.Rf1 would have fallen to 47…Rxg2+!, Pranesh instead uncorked the spectacular 47.Qg7!!
Now the twin threats of 48.Bd4+ and 48.Rc6+ loomed, either of which would have decided the game instantly. Akhmedinov tried to resist with 47…Ra1+, but Pranesh calmly blocked with 48.Rf1+!, picking up the rook on a1 and forcing immediate resignation.
Outstanding stuff from the young Indian grandmaster.
The World Cup’s opening round once again reminded everyone of its trademark unpredictability, as several underdogs punched above their weight to produce surprises and memorable results.
The biggest upset of the day came when Chile’s top player, GM Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra (2605), fell with Black in a tricky rook + bishop vs bishop endgame against IM Agibileg Uurtsaikh (Mongolia, 2448).
A handful of grandmasters were unable to break through and had to settle for draws — likely saving their energy and preparation for Game 2. Among them:
FM Mohan Kavin (Malaysia, 2346), who held GM Robert Hovhannisyan (Armenia, 2633) to a solid draw.
IM Reja Neer Manon (Bangladesh, 2369), who split the point with GM Aryan Tari (Norway, 2631).
Another standout performance came from FM Daniel Barrish (South Africa, 2284), who pressed with Black throughout against Goa’s own GM Raunak Sadhwani (2641) before agreeing to a draw after 56 moves — a truly impressive result for the young South African.
Last but not least, the only female player in the field, recent Women’s World Cup champion GM Divya Deshmukh (India), was defeated by GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (Greece, 2583).
Divya showed ambition from the start, sacrificing a pawn in the opening to build attacking chances. However, the compensation never fully materialized. As the game steered into a complex double-rook endgame, time pressure took its toll — one misstep was all it took for the Greek grandmaster to seize control and convert the point. Divya will have another opportunity tomorrow to even the match.
Asked afterward about the unusual atmosphere created by dozens of cameras and spectators crowding the top boards, Kourkoulos-Arditis smiled:
“I’ve never played with so many cameras, and when I first approached my chair, there were a lot of people behind it taking pictures of my opponent. But OK, it’s all the same.”
On a final note, during the round, AICF President Nitin Narang, accompanied by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, presented the newly established “Viswanathan Anand Cup” to the legendary five-time World Champion.
“The FIDE World Cup winner’s running trophy stands as an emblem of the great strides of Indian chess and the remarkable achievements and legacy of Vishy the King,” said Narang during the presentation.
Anand expressed his delight at receiving the honor: “I’m obviously very proud to have a trophy in my name. Regarding predictions for the event — obviously, Vincent Keymer is skyrocketing, but I don’t know if that guarantees something here. It’s a special format and there are too many names.”
Reflecting on his personal connection to Goa, Anand added warmly: “All of us love Goa. I’ve been here multiple times for holidays, but actually forty-two years ago I became National Junior Champion in Panaji, not that far away — and U-15 champion as well. In those days, I stayed at my cousin’s house, although he doesn’t live there anymore.”
Game 2 of Round 1 begins on November 2, at 3 PM local time. The action can be followed live on the FIDE YouTube Channel, featuring expert commentary by GMs Evgenij Miroshnichenko and Jan Gustafsson.
To watch the games in person, tickets can be purchased [HERE]
Official website: worldcup2025.fide.com/
Written by IM Michael Rahal (Goa, India)
Photos: Michal Walusza and Eteri Kublashvili
