In maybe the largest upset of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 in Goa, Indian Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh defeated Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, a two-time Candidates winner and two-time World Championship runner-up. After holding Nepomniachtchi to a draw with the white items of their first classical sport on Tuesday, Diptayan adopted it up with a dominating efficiency on Wednesday to get rid of one of many occasion’s heavy favourites.
Taking part in with Black, Diptayan was guided into the “Morphy Protection” of the Ruy Lopez sport by Nepomniachtchi. Out of the opening, it was the Indian who blitzed out his strikes and started to construct stress on the Russian together with his correct play.
WATCH: IAN NEPOMNIACHTCHI RESIGNS VS DIPTAYAN GHOSH
🚨 UPSET ALERT
Ian Nepomniachtchi (2732) loses to 🇮🇳 Diptayan Ghosh (2573) in Sport 2 and is eradicated from the #FIDEWorldCup! pic.twitter.com/Ar2z3fWjpm— Worldwide Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 5, 2025
On the 18th transfer, Diptayan sacrificed his dark-squared bishop to realize a tempo and chop off White’s knight on d2.
By the point the competition entered the endgame, with the queens off the board, Diptayan was already in a way more beneficial place, with the engine displaying a +2.0 benefit for him. In an endgame with opposite-colored bishops and an additional pawn, the Indian had no actual hassle changing easily. He continued to drive exchanges with a cloth benefit and ultimately compelled the Twelfth-seeded Nepomniachtchi to resign on the forty sixth transfer, crashing out in his first match. Nepomniachtchi had obtained a bye within the opening spherical, whereas Diptayan had defeated Peng Xiongjian of China within the tiebreaks.
The Kolkata GM referred to as this end result the largest day of his profession. Talking to Chessbase India after the win, Diptayan stated, “In all probability the largest day of my chess profession.”
In different massive outcomes for the Indian contingent, Arjun Erigaisi beat Martin Petrov 2-0 to qualify for the third spherical in fashion. Within the battle between the Classical World Champion and the Junior Champion, between India’s D. Gukesh and Kazakhstan’s Kazybek Nogerbek, the Indian received the higher of his opponent within the second match to hitch Arjun within the third spherical. R. Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi have been held to attracts by their opponents, Temur Kuybokarov and Faustino Oro, respectively, as they are going to head to tiebreaks, which will likely be performed tomorrow.
A complete of 17 Indians are within the fray within the second spherical of the Chess World Cup.
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