FIDE World Cup: Arjun, Pragg and Harikrishna to lead India's charge in fourth round

PANJIM: India’s top Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and P Harikrishna will look to build on their strong starts when the fourth round of the FIDE World Cup resumes here after the first rest day.

Arjun, India’s highest-rated player, will start as the favourite against veteran Hungarian Peter Leko, while Praggnanandhaa faces the inventive Daniil Dubov, competing under the FIDE flag. Harikrishna, the most experienced of the trio, takes on Sweden’s Nils Grandelius as he looks to stay in the mix for the later rounds.

Leko, a formidable force two decades ago, has shown glimpses of his old form, having defeated Bobby Cheng and Kirill Alekseenko without needing tiebreaks. However, he faces a tough challenge against Arjun, who thrives in complex positions and has been in fine touch. The 21-year-old Indian has won three of his four games under classical time control, getting past Martin Petrov and Shamsiddin Vokhidov with authority.

Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, squares off against Dubov, a creative tactician and one of the world’s sharpest minds in faster formats. The Russian has battled through two tiebreak marathons, defeating Bai Jinshi and Georg Meier with his quick play and precision. Praggnanandhaa, who survived an early scare in the second round against Temur Kuybokarov, steadied himself with a convincing win over Armenia’s Robert Hovhannisyan to make the round of 32.

Harikrishna’s campaign has been steady, marked by comprehensive victories over Arseniy Nesterov and Daniel Dardha. The 38-year-old has so far followed a clear strategy — win with white and hold firm with black — and will count on his vast experience to overcome Grandelius.

Two young Indians have also impressed with deep runs. World junior champion V Pranav and 109th seed Venkatraman Karthik have both reached the fourth round after strong performances in the early stages. Pranav defeated Algerian Ada Eddine Boulrens, Norwegian Aryan Tari, and Titas Stremavicius

of Lithuania, sealing the last win in the first game itself. Karthik, meanwhile, claimed notable wins over Aravindh Chithambaram and Bogdan-Daniel Deac and now faces Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem.

Among other key fixtures, Vincent Keymer, Leko’s protege, meets Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo, while Levon Aronian takes on Poland’s Radoslaw Wojtaszek in one of the day’s marquee clashes.