Desperate for a turnaround, Gukesh begins FIDE World Cup campaign on ideal note: 'Was just enjoying my positions'

D Gukesh was off to a winning start in the 2025 FIDE World Cup, defeating Kazakhstani Grandmaster Kazybek Nogerbek with a 1.5-0.5 scoreline after winning the second Classical game of Round 2 on Wednesday. Among the other key players advancing to the third round on Wednesday was Indian No 1 Arjun Erigaisi, who had entered the tournament as the second seed behind reigning world champion D Gukesh.

While Gukesh had been held to a draw while playing as white in the first Classical game of the second round, Arjun completed a clinical 2-0 scoreline over his opponent, Bulgarian GM Martin Petrov.

The spotlight, however, would have shone more brightly on Gukesh than on Arjun or any of the other players competing at the prestigious event at Resort Rio in Arpora, Goa that got underway on 31 October and offers three spots for next year’s Candidates Tournament.

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The 19-year-old, after all, has had a turbulent run since being crowned world champion in December last year, his performance graph witnessing a decline that reached its nadir at the FIDE Grand Swiss in September – where he suffered a hat-trick of defeats.

And while a top-three finish in Goa doesn’t concern him, Gukesh will have entered his first home event since being crowned FIDE Classical world champion hoping to regain his old form as he sets his sights on his title defence next year.

On that front, starting his campaign on a victorious note is a boost for Gukesh and his team as well as well-wishers, and puts him in the right frame of mind ahead of tougher battles that lie ahead.

Security mode ON: mandatory when you’re World Champion Gukesh D 👑♟️ #FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/xGUrvZl8iR

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 5, 2025

Speaking to FIDE after his victory over Nogerbek, Gukesh said that while he couldn’t convert a promising position into a victory in Game 1, finding himself in a dominant position in the subsequent game lifted his spirits.

“It’s been an interesting experience. Obviously the results have not been great this year. But recently I have started to pick up a bit of my form. Great learning experience, and here we are for the World Cup, so only focus is on this tournament,” Gukesh said on Wednesday.

“Today was quite nice. Yesterday was also a good game, but unfortunately I couldn’t convert it. But today I felt great over the board and played a clean game. Not very often you get such a dominant position. So in the end I was just enjoying my positions,” he added.

So, Nepomniachtchi among biggest names exiting in Round 2

While Gukesh and Arjun advanced to the next round along with fourth seed Anish Giri, third seed R Praggnanandhaa will be competing in the tie-breaks on Thursday after playing out back-to-back draws against Uzbekistani-Australian GM Temur Kuybokarov.

Fifth seed Wesley So, who had recently won the Sinquefield Cup in August, was among the major casualties on Wednesday as he was handed the knockout punch by Lithuanian GM Titas Stremavicius, losing Game 2 after playing out a draw in Game 1.

Round 2 | After GAME 2 | Top Results | 2025 FIDE World Cup

Find pairings here: https://t.co/KoEE0LdcNb#FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/m90POuMCFm

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 5, 2025

The day also witnessed reigning world blitz champion Ian Nepomniachtchi getting knocked out by Indian GM Diptayan Ghosh – who also clinched his place in the next round by winning the decisive second game after the first game ended in a draw.

What raised eyebrows thereafter was the manner in which Nepomniachtchi checked out of Resort Rio while Round 2 games were underway, according to The Indian Express. Nepo, a two-time Candidates champion, went so far as to suggest that he was happy to fly out of India.

“I’d played in India before (in 2019 in Kolkata), so I had a good idea of ​​what the conditions would be like. But FIDE, to its credit, managed to surprise me. There’s nothing to say about the chess aspect. One of those places that you won’t be sad to leave," the 35-year-old posted on his Telegram account.