The Chess World Cup Round 2 delivered high drama, as India's Diptayan Ghosh stunned the 12th seed and two-time World Championship challenger, Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ghosh, hailing from Kolkata, secured a definitive 1.5-0.5 match victory over the higher-rated opponent at Resort Rio in Arpora, Goa. After drawing the first classical game, Ghosh won the second game playing with the black pieces to advance to the third round.
Ghosh described the victory as the pinnacle of his career, stating, "To beat a player like Nepomniachtchi, who has been a challenger for the World title, was great. It is the best win of my career." His triumph was the biggest story on a day that saw another seed fall, with Titas Stremavicius of Lithuania shocking the fifth-seeded American Wesley So by the same 1.5-0.5 score. The defeat is particularly fatal for Nepomniachtchi, as it shuts the door on his qualification for the upcoming Candidates tournament.
The win ensures that a contingent of five Indian players has already qualified for the third round. The top two seeds, India’s D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, advanced as expected. Gukesh bounced back from a draw in the first game to win the second against Kazakhstan’s Kazybek Nogerbek, while Erigaisi posted a clean 2-0 score over Bulgaria's Martin Petrov.
Following his defeat, a disgruntled Ian Nepomniachtchi was observed checking out and leaving the official hotel swiftly. The Russian posted a vaguely worded message on his Telegram account, saying, “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.”
FIDE officials, however, confirmed that the player did not raise any official complaint before his immediate departure for the airport, and did not clarify what had caused his ire.
The day also saw eight more Indian players move on to Thursday's tie-breakers to decide their Round 3 fate, including third seed R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Nihal Sarin, and S.L. Narayanan. While the campaigns of Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Aronyak Ghosh, and Pa. Iniyan ended, Diptayan Ghosh’s memorable upset ensured cheer for India.