It has been a great time for Indian GMs at the FIDE World Cup 2023. With wins from Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Dommaraju Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, three Indians have already sealed their places in the quarterfinal and there is a guaranteed spot for an Indian GM in the semifinals.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
The World Cup run of Praggnanandhaa, the much-heralded phenom, has been one of the less surprising success stories. The Chennai native secured a quarterfinal matchup with his fellow countryman Arjun after performing outstanding against tournament underdog GM Ferenc Berkes in a French Defence gone wrong.
Berkes was left with little choice but to wait for Praggnanandhaa’s schemes to materialise after running out of queenside pawn breaks. As the Indian GM launched a few tactical flurries supported by a succession of excellent moves, the outcome never seemed in doubt.
Arjun and Gukesh draw their games to seal quarterfinal spots
For the first time in World Cup history, three Indian players qualified for the quarterfinals thanks to draws by Arjun and Gukesh against GMs Nils Grandelius and Wang Hao, respectively. Carlsen was keen to point out that, in addition to GM Elisabeth Paehtz and himself, all three Indian players are members of the SG Alpine Warrior team in the 2023 Global Chess League.
While Arjun and Praggnanandhaa’s pairings will guarantee Indian representation in the semifinals, Gukesh-Carlsen must be regarded as the round six (quarterfinal) major event. This will be Gukesh’s biggest test yet; many have predicted that he will eventually hold the top spot in the globe. These allegations will definitely become more credible if the Indian virtuoso defeats his Norwegian rival.
Can Vidit make it to the quarterfinals?
Ian Nepomniachtchi-Vidit Gujrathi is the only matchup that is still in doubt going into Monday’s quick tiebreaks. Although neither player displayed any symptoms of weakness throughout the classical section, the two will have greater incentive to prevail in their tiebreak because the winner will advance to face the lowest seed still in the tournament.
Magnus Carlsen
In round five, Magnus Carlsen also earned a 2/2 score, ending the World Cup’s oldest competitor, Vasyl Ivanchuk, from continuing. The legendary Ukrainian played the first 20 moves of the Ruy Lopez quickly—Morphy Defence and Wing Attack—but he blundered with 22.Nf1, which was ironically Ivanchuk’s longest move.
Carlsen rapidly found himself up a pawn and headed towards an ending with an opposite-coloured bishop after moving his pieces into situations where trade was unavoidable. The most exciting part of the game occurred when Ivanchuk proposed a draw to Carlsen after 31.Bc1!, but Carlsen turned it down. Naturally, a draw would have let him advance without any risk, but the former world champion concluded by saying: “I am not normally known for being merciful.” Ivanchuk eventually resigned to give Carlsen a 2/2 victory.
When asked about his quarterfinal clash against Indian GM Gukesh, Carlsen said, “We’re in the quarters so you sort of expect to be playing the very top guys. The way he’s playing now, Gukesh is one of them. I haven’t seen his game today, but it’s obviously likely (to be a draw). Obviously, I’m happy to still be in the tournament.”
