Following his second-round exit at the ongoing Chess World Cup, Ian Nepomniachtchi was left fuming, departing the playing hall immediately. Then, within an hour after his defeat, he was also seen checking out of his hotel. Then the Russian GM also took to his Telegram channel to slam the tournament organisers. It was a cryptic statement, where he slammed the conditions in Goa without directly pointing out anything. Also, according to reports, he didn’t officially complain to FIDE.
Later, Nepomniachtchi posted a video on his Telegram account, in which he spoke in his native Russian language, about his earlier remark.
“The World Cup was in India, and you have to say—it’s a very specific place. I wasn’t at the Olympiad there two or three years ago, which was held in Chennai. They say it was quite okay, actually—better than expected, even though it was summer and very hot,” he said.
Recalling his earlier visit to Kolkata, he continued, “The hotel was decent, but there were armed guards on every floor because cricket players were staying there too—it was a big deal for the city. Fans were enthusiastic, but I was unpleasantly surprised by the conditions overall. The players’ lounge, for example, was tiny and had no ventilation—very uncomfortable between rounds. Anyway, that was a short commercial event, not to be taken too seriously.”
“And, of course, the big problem for me—and probably for many others—is the food. The food is very specific. Meat isn’t really available—basically just chicken. I remember in Kolkata the restaurant was good, more European-style, but this time in Goa, not so much.
“There were only a few European-style dishes—some vegetables, and occasionally pasta that was almost edible, with minimal spices. So I mostly lived on rice and flatbreads. Fruits were available, but how many pineapples can you eat to meet your daily calories? Breakfast was okay—you could order an omelet, which felt like a luxury by hotel standards.”
Blaming the hotel in Goa, he said, “The hotel itself… well, let’s just say I wasn’t the first and won’t be the last to complain. Even other chess players posted about it—Maxim Chigaev, for instance, showed that his “five-star” hotel view was of a construction site.”
He also spoke about the humid climate and revealed that the air conditioner didn’t work. “The climate was extremely humid, 30°C even in November. When the air conditioner doesn’t work, it’s no joke. We flew overnight from Moscow, and I made the mistake of sleeping in the afternoon, which ruined my schedule for the next three days. I couldn’t adjust,” he said.
“The room itself was terrible. I’ve been traveling to tournaments since I was about 10, and this was one of the worst. Like an off-season family resort turned into a cheap children’s tournament hotel.
“I asked FIDE officials about alternative accommodation, and they offered me a villa that was ironically even cheaper—but I soon found out why. The villa was quieter, but at night the power kept cutting out, meaning the air conditioning stopped too. I learned to reset it from the breaker box, but it would just shut off again after a while. Eventually, I regretted leaving my original room. Even though it was noisy and faced some sort of construction area, it had blackout curtains and more stable power.”
Rating the hotel as three stars, out of five, he concluded, “The hotel claimed to be five stars, but realistically it was maybe a low three. When I asked FIDE why they chose that place, they said it was the only hotel in Goa with a conference hall. Technically true, but to reach the restroom from the hall, you had to go outside into +30°C heat and back into a freezing 21°C air-conditioned room. Not ideal. So overall, very tough conditions. Those more accustomed to India probably had an advantage.”
