Arpora (Goa): India got off to a strong start in the FIDE World Cup chess tournament. Grandmasters Pranav V, Pranesh M and Surya Shekhar Ganguly won the first match of the first round in a straight set. Women’s World Cup winner Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh fought hard but could not avoid defeat against Greek Grandmaster Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis.
Local Grandmaster Lien Luc Mendonca had a chance to win but had to draw against China’s IM Shikshu Bi Wang. Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani also drew with South African FIDE Master Daniel Barish. Pranav defeated Algeria’s IM Ala Eddine Boulerens, Ganguly defeated Azerbaijan’s Grandmaster Ahmed Ahmadzada, while Pranesh defeated Kazakhstan’s IM Satbek Akhmedinov.
The top 50 players in the knockout tournament, which features 206 players from 82 countries, have received a bye in the first round. The Indian players will be expected to maintain this momentum in the remaining matches.
