The biennial Fide World Cup underway in Goa is a feast for chess fans. Lasting nearly a month, more than 200 participants are whittled down to a single winner through a series of knockout matches, starting with two games of classical chess, followed by rapid and blitz tiebreaks if necessary. Stakes are high, with a $2 million prize fund, and the top three finishers qualifying for the prestigious Candidates tournament (to be held in Cyprus in the spring), whose winner will challenge for the world championship.
The game below was an early highlight. The queen sacrifice is not new, and Harikrishna was probably aware that computer evaluations slightly favour the queen, but rightly trusted his own judgment. Faced with the dominant knight on d6, Nesterov struggled to develop his forces.
Pentala Harikrishna-Arseniy Nesterov
Fide World Cup, Round 2, Goa 2025
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 Nxe4 4 dxe5 Bc5 4…d5 is more popular and far safer. 5 Qd5 Bxf2+ 6 Ke2 f5 7 Nc3 c6 8 Nxe4 cxd5 9 Nd6+ Kf8 10 Kxf2 (see diagram) Nc6 11 Be3 d4 11…Qc7 is a clever defensive idea, threatening Nc6xe5. Then 12 Nb5 Qa5 13 Bd3 d6! returns a pawn to activate the miserable Bc8, which proves so ineffectual in the game. 12 Bf4 Qb6 13 Bd3 Ne7 13…Qxb2 can be ignored: 14 Rhf1 and Kf2-g1 prepares an attack along the f-file. 14 Bd2 Nd5 15 Bxf5 Ne3 16 Bd3 Ke7 17 Rhe1 Rf8 Losing by force. 17…h6 was essential, to rule out a future check with Bg5. 18 Rxe3! dxe3+ 19 Bxe3 Rxf3+ 19…Qxb2 20 Bg5+ Ke6 21 Bc4 mate displays perfect minor piece coordination. 20 Kxf3 Qxb2 21 Bg5+ Ke6 22 Re1 b5 Stopping Bd3-c4 mate, but dropping a rook. 23 Bf5+ Kd5 24 Be4+ Ke6 25 Bxa8 Qc3+ 26 Re3 Qxc2 27 Be4 Qd1+ 28 Kg3 Qh5 29 h4 Black resigns
At the time of writing, India’s Arjun Erigaisi is the top seed remaining. In the ‘last 16’ round, he dispatched Levon Aronian in style:
Levon Aronian-Arjun Erigaisi
Fide World Cup, Round 5, Goa 2025
38 Re1? Nh3!! White resigns due to 39 gxh3 Rxe1 40 Qxe1 Qxf3 mate, or 39 Qf1 Nxg1 40 Qxg1 Rxe1 41 Qxe1 Qxh2 mate.
Two English contenders, Nikita Vitiugov and Michael Adams, were knocked out in early rounds. They, along with Gawain Maroroa Jones and me, are the England squad regulars competing in the elite all-play-all tournament at the XTX Markets London Chess Classic. We will face a powerful lineup of six foreign guests, including Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan and Alireza Firouzja from France. The festival includes an array of events alongside. Tickets are available: www.londonchessclassic.com/spectator-tickets.
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