Mumbai: And then there were just two left in the competition. But not quite the lineup expected.
Twenty-four Indians were a part of the 206 that started at the ongoing FIDE World Cup in Goa. On Thursday, when the fourth round tiebreakers ended, only Arjun Erigaisi and Harikrishna Pentala remained from the home contingent.
The only Indian to exit from the tournament on the day happened to be the one from whom a lot had been expected at this competition. At the previous edition of the World Cup in 2023, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu was the 31st seed who pulled off upsets to reach the final. It only took the great Magnus Carlsen – that too after being stretched – to stop the Chennai lad’s run.
This time, third seed Praggnanandhaa entered the tournament as the world No.7, and a player who has been in good form throughout the season. But his time in Goa ended at the hands of Russian GM Daniil Dubov, who earned a 2.5-1.5 win.
Suddenly, with Praggnanandhaa out, home hopes have now fallen on the shoulders of Arjun and a player not entirely expected to get this far, Harikrishna.
Stepping out of the shadow
In many ways, Harikrishna’s run to the fifth round of the World Cup can be seen as a moment in which he is finally earning what had long been expected of him.
Once a chess prodigy, the 39-year-old had become the second Indian man, after legendary Viswanathan Anand, to win the Junior World Championship title in 2004. He was once the youngest Indian to become Grandmaster, and had briefly become the India No.1 after overtaking Anand in the live ratings.
But Harikrishna, once the world No.10, has since been overtaken by the younger guard from India that has been dominating world chess. His value, however, never diminished.
He was a part of the Indian team that won gold at the Chess Olympiad last year.
In 2023, he helped China’s Ju Wenjun retain her Women’s World Championship title when he worked with her as a second. He also worked as a second for Gukesh Dommaraju when he became the second Indian to win the World Championship last year.
Even before Thursday’s win over Swedish GM Nils Grandelius to move into the fifth round, however, Harikrishna had created a stir with probably the most remarkable and daring move on the chess board.
On Day 2 of his second round match against Russia’s Arseniy Nesterov – after having tied the first game – Harikrishna sacrificed the queen as early as the eight move.
“I had that analysis for nine years,” he told Lichess after winning the round. “I always thought: shall I try this or not, I was never sure. But I took a chance, and I felt my opponent knew at some point, but he underestimated the danger.”
It was perhaps that moment of daring that gave him a shot in the arm to progress in a heavily stacked field.
Erigaisi finds rhythm again
Joining him in the fifth round is world No.6 and India No.1 Erigaisi.
While it was unexpected for Harikrishna to get this far, second seed Erigaisi remains a favourite for the tournament which is his last chance of making it to the Candidates Tournament – the gateway to the World Championship match.
Erigaisi had missed out on qualifying for the 2023 edition of the Candidates, which, he asserted, was a big blow and took him a while to recover. In Goa, he made his intent clear by winning the first three matches he played.
In the fourth round, against veteran Peter Leko, a Hungarian GM who had finished as runner-up at the 2004 World Championship, both their classical format matches ended in draws.
On Thursday though, while Leko made errors across the first two rapid matches, Erigaisi remained efficient to win both games and move into the pre-quarter-final.
Error-prone Pragg exits
While he stormed the field at the last World Cup, Praggnanandhaa had not been at his best in this edition.
An error-prone game on Day 1 of the fourth round saw him narrowly escape defeat. Day 2 was a bit more tame, as both players played out a 30-move draw. But in the rapid-style tiebreakers, Dubov – a former Rapid Chess World Champion – was a clear threat.
“I had told my friends that this is the strategy – make draws with white and with black we actually play, because (Praggnanandhaa is) always ambitious with white,” Dubov told FIDE after the match. “I realised I’ll probably have better chances with the black in the long run.”
That’s exactly how it panned out. Dubov with the white and Praggnanandhaa with black ended in a 12-move draw. But on the turnover, the Russian took advantage of the errors that crept into the Indian’s play.
Despite the loss, Praggnanandhaa is still expected to make it to the Candidates event as the 2025 Circuit Winner.
But for Arjun and Harikrishna, the hunt continues.
