The fourth round of the Chess World Cup in Goa saw a day dominated by stalemates, with all five Indian contenders playing out draws in their first games on Tuesday. The results set up crucial second classical games on Wednesday. Second seed Arjun Erigaisi, now the highest-ranked Indian remaining, played the quickest game, while R. Praggnanandhaa managed a sly escape to survive the pressure from his opponent.
Arjun Erigaisi maintained his reputation as one of the tournament's most solid players, securing a quick half-point with black pieces against Hungarian veteran Peter Leko. The game, lasted just 20 moves in a Sicilian Four Knights opening before ending in a draw by repetition.
Praggnanandhaa, however, had to work considerably harder for his draw against Russian Grandmaster Daniil Dubov, a former World Rapid Champion. Playing with white pieces, Pragg had to come back from an inferior position as early as the 14th move and found himself under immense pressure before Dubov offered a queen trade, allowing the Indian to secure the draw after 41 moves.
The remaining Indians also settled for draws. P. Harikrishna drew against Nils Grandelius, while Karthik Venkataraman impressively held his Vietnamese rival Le Quang Liem to a draw with black pieces. Karthik, one of only two remaining players with less than 2600 ELO, expressed satisfaction: "So far the tournament has gone well for me... I managed to make a draw quite easily and I am quite optimistic about my chances in the second game." World junior champion V. Pranav battled the longest, drawing against Uzbek prodigy Nodirbek Yakubboev after 82 moves.
Across all 16 encounters, 14 ended in draws. Only two players managed to score a full point: two-time World Cup winner Levon Aronian of the United States defeated Poland’s Radoslaw Wojtaszek, and Mexico’s Jose Martínez Alcantara beat Alexey Sarana. Aronian, known for his creative style, admitted to resorting to unusual opening moves out of desperation to avoid a quick draw.
The action now shifts to Wednesday for the second game of the contest. Arjun Erigaisi, P. Harikrishna, and Karthik Venkataraman will all have the advantage of playing with white pieces, needing a win or a draw to avoid tie-breaks and secure their spots in the Round of 32. Their ability to convert the white pieces advantage will be crucial as they aim to continue India's challenge in Goa.