Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and P Harikrishna kept their campaigns alive at the FIDE World Cup 2025 after all three were forced into tiebreaks following drawn results in their fourth-round classical games on Wednesday. Arjun, playing with white pieces, settled for a draw against Hungary’s GM Peter Leko after 36 moves. Praggnanandhaa split the point against GM Daniil Dubov in 30 moves, while Harikrishna held his ground against Sweden’s GM Nils Grandelius in a tense 38-move encounter. Among the five Indians in the fourth round, Arjun and Praggnanandhaa were the key focus on the top boards. Arjun opted for the Nimzo-Indian Defence and appeared well-prepared in the opening phase, gaining time on the clock after 16 moves. The Indian looked for chances to press in the middlegame but eventually agreed to a draw after a balanced exchange-heavy position. Leko later praised Arjun’s approach but felt the game was always under control. “I am getting more and more in my preparations and I wasn’t really afraid (of Arjun’s opening line). I knew that this b5 that I played is quite solid and there cannot be any miracle in this position. But over the board when Arjun is blitzing all his moves, I know that there is always some pressure. But it was more or less equal all the time,” Leko said after the game.
Arjun, playing with white pieces, settled for a draw against Hungary’s GM Peter Leko after 36 moves.
Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, handled the black pieces against Dubov sharply, but neither side found a breakthrough. The game ended peacefully after 30 moves, taking the match into the tiebreak stage. In another key tie, Harikrishna found himself in a difficult position despite playing white against Grandelius but held firm in a bishop-and-pawn endgame to salvage a draw and force the match into a decider. Elsewhere, GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara became the first player to reach the round of 16 after a quick 20-move draw with GM Alexey Sarana, having won the first game on Tuesday. He now awaits the winner of the Harikrishna–Grandelius match.
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World junior champion Pranav V’s campaign ended after he lost his second game to Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Yakubboev in 38 moves. The tiebreaks for the remaining matches will be played on Thursday.
