India’s campaign at the FIDE World Cup 2025 gained fresh momentum on Thursday, Nov. 6. GM Vidit Gujrathi, Pranav V, Pranesh M, and several others punched their tickets to round three. Vidit withstood heavy resistance from Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro, just 12 years old, in the classical segment, then deployed his experience to claim a 52-move win playing black in their second rapid encounter. Pranav overtook Norwegian Aryan Tari, while Pranesh triumphed over Dimitrij Kollars of Germany. Their victories send them forward along with Gukesh D, Arjun Erigasi, P Harikrishna, Karthik Venkatraman, and Diptayan Ghosh.
When asked about the demanding contest against Oro, Vidit commented, “It feels good to qualify for the next round. It was not an easy match, so it feels good all the more.” He offered further recognition to the Argentine: “The way young players play chess is very different because they have grown up with computers and have much more experience than the previous generation. But it’s not like there are many prodigies. He is special because at the age of 12 he is playing like a seasoned player.” Up next, Vidit faces Sam Shankland of the United States, who removed Vasyl Ivanchuk in the preceding round.
Pranav, the current world junior champion, rebounded from his defeat in the second classical game, clinching the first rapid after 44 moves in a rook-pawn finish. He followed this with a draw as black, securing a berth in the next stage. “Today I just tried to play my game and not think about the earlier two games and my preparations worked out,” Pranav stated. His third-round challenge will be against Lithuania’s Titas Stremavicius, who recently overcame Wesley So.
Pranesh, piloting black, took control by the 24th move of his second rapid contest against Dimitrij Kollars. He methodically built on his edge and secured victory in 48 moves. His path now leads to a face-off with German GM Vincent Keymer in the following round.
R Praggnanandhaa, already known for high-pressure performances, advanced after a nerve-testing tie-break series against Temur Kuybokarov. The initial two tie-break games ended level, and after dropping the third rapid, Praggnanandhaa equalised with a win as black in the fourth. He then prevailed in both blitz segments to proceed.
SL Narayanan also secured third-round placement, prevailing in both blitz games against Nikita Vitiugov after a sequence of drawn encounters. On another board, tenth seed Hans Niemann of the USA exited early, falling to Lorenzo Lodici of Italy after a marathon 77-move rapid contest, following two draws in classical play.
– Ends
