Shamsiddin vokhidov

FIDE World Cup: GM Arjun Erigaisi and P Harikrishna came up with near-perfect play with white, while world champion Gukesh D played out a draw with black pieces in the opening game of Round 3 in the FIDE World Cup 2025 here in Panaji on Friday.

Arjun, the highest-ranked Indian in the fray, defeated Uzbekistan’s Shamsiddin Vokhidov in 30 moves, while Harikrishna once again showed his command of preparation to beat GM Daniel Dardha of Belgium in 25 moves to put themselves in the driver’s seat to reach the fourth round.

A total of 10 Indians have made it to the third round of the FIDE World Cup 2025, which is being played as a single-elimination knock-out tournament with 206 players from 82 countries vying for the coveted Viswanathan Anand Cup, named after the Indian legend.