India made a confident start at the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa. Grandmasters Pranav V, Pranesh M, and Surya Shekhar Ganguly registered impressive wins on the opening day.
Pranav outclassed Algeria’s Ala Eddine Boulrens using the Slav Defence, while Ganguly dominated Azerbaijan’s Ahmad Ahmadzada in a Ruy Lopez. Pranesh defeated Kazakhstan’s Satbek Akhmedinov after a strong middlegame. However, Divya Deshmukh lost her first-round match, and Goan GM Leon Mendonca was held to a draw by China’s Shixu Wang. The day’s highlight came from UAE’s Salem Saleh, who produced a brilliant 35-move attacking victory.
