Arpora (Goa), Nov 1 (NationPress) The reigning World Junior champion GM Pranav V, alongside GM Pranesh M. and the seasoned GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, kicked off their campaigns in the FIDE World Cup 2025 with impressive wins. In contrast, Divya Deshmukh, the women’s World Cup titleholder, fought valiantly but couldn't manage to secure a draw in her opening match on Saturday.

Local talent Leon Luke Mendonca faced a challenging bout but was unable to capitalize on his opportunities, leading to a draw against China’s Shixu B. Wang after 50 moves.

Pranav, the top-ranked Indian player competing on Day 1, triumphed over IM Ala Eddine Boulrens from Algeria. Ganguly displayed excellent control in the middle game against GM Ahmad Ahmadzada from Azerbaijan, securing a hard-fought victory, while Pranesh outmaneuvered IM Satbek Akhmedinov from Kazakhstan in 48 moves.

Playing as white, Pranav faced the Slav Defence and maintained solid control throughout the game to clinch a point. Ganguly, opting for a Ruy Lopez against Ahmadzada, wrapped up his match in just 37 moves.

The FIDE World Cup 2025 is structured as a single-elimination tournament, featuring 206 players from 82 nations competing for the prestigious Viswanathan Anand Cup, named in honor of the Indian chess legend.

With the top 50 players receiving a bye in the first round, all eyes were on how the next group of Indian competitors would fare and if Divya, the sole female participant, could create an upset against the higher-rated GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis.

Under pressure, Divya struggled as Stamatis capitalized on her midgame blunder during a pawn exchange on the 17th move, making it challenging for her to salvage a half-point.

Despite her difficulties, the 19-year-old kept fighting and pushed for a rook-pawn endgame amid time constraints. However, Stamatis maintained his advantage with a progressing pawn on the b-file, ultimately forcing Divya to resign after 41 moves.

While Divya faced setbacks, GM Raunak Sadhwani managed to evade an error against South African FM Daniel Barrish, settling for a draw after 56 moves.

Among the international competitors, Argentina’s Faustino Oro, the event's youngest participant, held Brkic Ante to a draw, while Turkey's rising star GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus showcased his potential by decisively taking control of his match against Nagi Abugenda and forcing a resignation just seven moves in.

Indian results (Round 1)

GM Pranav V 1:0 Ala Eddine Boulrens (Alg); GM Raunak Sadhwani 0.5:0.5 FM Daniel Barrish (RSA); GM Pranesh M 1:0 IM Satbek Akhmedinov (Kaz); GM Leon Luke Mendonca 0.5:0.5 IM Shixu B Wang (Chn); GM Narayanan SL 0.5:0.5 IM Steven Rojas (Per); GM Iniyan Pa 1:0 GM Dylan Berdayes (Cub);

GM Karthik Venkataraman 0.5:0.5 GM Roberto Garcia Pantoja (Cub); GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly 1:0 GM Ahmad Ahmadzada (AZE); IM Aronyak Ghosh 0:1 GM Mateusz Bartel (Pol); GM Divya Deshmukh 0:1 GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (Gre); IM Himal Gusain 0:1 GM Andy Woodward (USA); IM Neelash Saha 0:1 GM Georg Meier (Uru).