India’s Grandmaster S.L. Narayanan made a flying start at the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025, defeating Steven Rojas of South Africa to become the first Indian player to qualify for the Round of 128. The opening round of tiebreaks wrapped up on Monday, and several Indian players made impressive progress.
Narayanan’s Confident Start
Narayanan, known for his calm approach and strong tactical play in shorter time controls, played brilliantly in both his tiebreak games. Using his favorite Sicilian Defence as black, he broke through Rojas’s defenses with precise calculation and a well-planned attack.
The second game was even more one-sided. Playing with white, Narayanan launched an aggressive assault right from the start and wrapped up the game in just 22 moves. His quick and clean victory reflected his superior preparation and control over the board.
The 27-year-old from Kerala hardly looked troubled throughout the match and seemed to be in top form. With this win, he comfortably secured his spot in the next round, where tougher challenges await.
Diptayan Ghosh Shines in Tiebreaks
Another standout performance came from Diptayan Ghosh of Kolkata, who defeated China’s Peng Xionglian in both his tiebreak games to move into the next round.
Playing with confidence and composure, Ghosh outplayed his opponent in the first game and then capitalized on mistakes in the second to seal a 2–0 win. His victory also ensures him a $7,000 prize for reaching the Round of 128.
Ghosh entered the tournament as one of India’s additional players since the host nation received a few extra spots. But the 26-year-old proved that he fully deserves his place, handling the pressure beautifully and showing great maturity in key moments.
Strong Start for Indian Players
It was a positive opening round for the Indian contingent overall, with several players posting confident wins.
Round 1 Results (India):
- V. Pranav beat Ala Eddine Boulrens (Algeria) – 2-0
- Raunak Sadhwani beat Daniel Barrish (South Africa) – 1.5-0.5
- M. Pranesh beat Satbek Akhmedinov (Kazakhstan) – 1.5-0.5
- Karthik Venkataraman beat Roberto Garcia Pantoja (Cuba) – 1.5-0.5
- Diptayan Ghosh beat Peng Xiongjian (China) – 1-1, 2-0 (tiebreak)
- Surya Shekhar Ganguly beat Ahmad Ahmadzada (Azerbaijan) – 2-0
- P. Iniyan beat Dylan Berdayes (Cuba) – 1.5-0.5
- S.L. Narayanan beat Steven Rojas (South Africa) – 1-1, 2-0 (tiebreak)
Meanwhile, Raja Rithvik, Aronyak Ghosh, and M.R. Lalit Babu were still fighting it out in ongoing tiebreaks at the time of reporting.
Mixed Fortunes for the Rest
Not all Indians advanced, though. A few faced early exits despite fighting efforts.
- Himal Gusain lost to Andy Woodward (USA) – 0-2
- G.B. Harshavardhan lost to Yilmaz Mustafa (Turkey) – 0.5-1.5
- Neelash Saha lost to Georg Meier (Uruguay) – 0.5-1.5
- Leon Luke Mendonca lost to Shixu B. Wang (China) – 0.5-1.5
- Divya Deshmukh lost to Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis (Greece) – 0-2
While these results were disappointing, India still has a strong group moving forward, with many of its top young talents through to the next stage.
India’s Depth on Display
Hosting the World Cup has given India a larger field of participants than usual, but the performances show that these players are not just filling seats—they’re competing at a world-class level.
The rise of players like Narayanan, Diptayan Ghosh, and others highlights the incredible depth of Indian chess today. Beyond the big names like Viswanathan Anand, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and D. Gukesh, India’s second line of grandmasters continues to grow stronger and more competitive.
Narayanan’s confident play and Diptayan’s controlled aggression are clear signs that India’s chess future is in safe hands.
What’s Next
The FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 is a major event on the international calendar, featuring some of the best players from around the globe. The tournament follows a knockout format, and the top finishers will qualify for the Candidates Tournament, which decides the challenger for the next World Chess Championship.
With nine Indians already through and a few more still in contention, the country’s representation in the later rounds could be among the largest in the tournament’s history.
For now, S.L. Narayanan’s powerful performance has set the tone. His clinical victory has given Indian fans plenty to cheer about as the action intensifies in the coming days.
