The shock of the first game of Round 3 came from GM José Eduardo Martínez Alcántara (2644), who scored a fantastic win against one of the strongest players in the tournament, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Uzbekistan’s number one, rated 2750 and seeded eighth.
Playing with Black, Martínez Alcántara neutralized an ambitious opening idea by Abdusattorov that involved a positional exchange sacrifice. The game became highly unbalanced, but the Mexican GM kept his cool and took over the initiative once his opponent overextended. It was a huge win that puts him in a commanding position to advance to Round 4, provided he can avoid defeat tomorrow.
Martínez later analysed the fascinating encounter live in our broadcast studio. Watch his full breakdown on FIDE YouTube.
World Champion GM Gukesh D (2752) was held to a draw by GM Frederik Svane (2638). The German grandmaster, though pleased with the result, felt there had been room for more:
“It was my first time playing against the World Champion, so it was very special. A draw is fine, but I would have loved to put more pressure on him,” explained Svane in his post-game interview.
Other relatively surprising results included draws by GMs Anish Giri (2759), Richard Rapport (2724), and Daniil Dubov (2684) – all playing White against lower-rated opponents.
Let’s take a closer look at the action as the afternoon unfolded.
Opening ceremony and early action
The round began on Board 2, where Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi (2769) faced Uzbekistan’s Olympiad medalist Shamsiddin Vokhidov (2640).
The ceremonial first move, 1.e4, was played by Dr. Ajay Gaude, Director of Sports for the Government of Goa. Erigaisi humorously retrieved the pawn and switched to 1.d4 once the principal arbiter declared the round officially open.
For the first time in this World Cup, none of the 32 games ended by the two-hour halfway mark — a testament both to the balance among the players and to their determination to strike first.
Harikrishna’s masterclass
The first decisive result arrived after two and a half hours, when GM Pentala Harikrishna (2697) dismantled GM Daniel Dardha (2605), Belgium’s four-time national champion.
The Indian grandmaster — possibly inspired by his recent work as Gukesh’s second during the World Championship — played with clarity and confidence, launching a textbook kingside assault in an unbalanced Sicilian.
After Dardha’s inaccurate opening play, Harikrishna demonstrated precise attacking technique.
22.Re3 (threatening 23.Rg3#) Bc7 23.Nxe4 (with the idea of 24.Nxf6#) Bxe4 24.Rxe4 f5 25.Rxe6!!
Following 25…fxe6 26.Bb3!, Black would be forced to give up his queen to stop checkmate – a brilliant finish from the Andhra Pradesh native.
Idani’s Creative Breakthrough
Shortly afterward, GM Pouya Idani (2601) produced another upset by defeating GM Andrey Esipenko (2693) with a daring kingside pawn advance and a spectacular piece sacrifice.
The key moment came after 24.Nxf7! Kxf7 25.Rxg6 Rg8 26.cxd4 Nxd4? (better was 26…exd4) 27.Bxd4 Qxd4 28.Qf5!
Caught off guard by this powerful move, Esipenko resigned after 28…Rae8 29.Nf3!, unable to defend against multiple threats.
“I was extremely tired after yesterday’s tiebreaks, so I want to thank my second for coming up with this idea,” said Idani. “I had some doubts before the game, but he insisted I should go for it.”
Erigaisi’s smooth victory
Meanwhile, GM Arjun Erigaisi (2769) overpowered GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov (2640) in just over twenty moves, showcasing deep preparation and flawless execution.
“Even though this line is considered solid, I had prepared the novelty 18.Qd2 – it’s easy for Black to go wrong if he doesn’t know it,” explained Erigaisi. “I was actually planning to play it against Wei Yi in Norway Chess.”
You can replay the full game in the Live Games section on the tournament website.
FIDE’s star interviewer WIM Charlize van Zyl caught up with Arjun for a quick postgame interview in which he discussed some of the key moves.
Other winners
Also taking the lead in their matches were Levon Aronian (2722), Le Quang Liem (2729), Matthias Bluebaum (2687), Shant Sargsyan (2667), Peter Leko (2666), Alexey Sarana (2661), Radoslaw Wojtaszek (2654), Pranav V (2641), and Aleksey Grebnev (2611).
Ivanchuk’s press conference
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian legend GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, eliminated in Round 2 by GM Samuel Shankland, met the press at the media centre.
Ivanchuk praised the tournament’s organization and confirmed his participation in the World Rapid & Blitz Championships in Doha later this year.
With nine participations in eleven editions of the World Cup, Ivanchuk remains one of the event’s most frequent and respected competitors.
Game 2 of Round 3 will be played on November 8, starting 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
Photos: Michal Walusza and Eteri Kublashvili
