FIDE World Cup 30 October - 27 November 2025

[Mick Norris]

Niemann out, as is Oro, Sarin, Tari

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Tough tournament! Has there ever been a real underdog that has won through to the semi-finals in the period where that would bring you very close to a Candidates spot, or have the top-rated players tended to win this event? Answering my own question, I can only see Abasov as the one 'underdog' since 2005 and he qualified to the Candidates from fourth (in the 2023 World Cup) due to Carlsen not taking up the qualification spot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_World_Cup

[LawrenceCooper]

Niemann out, as is Oro, Sarin, Tari

Pragg survived a lost position and found a miraculous save to keep his match going.

[LawrenceCooper]

Mickey wins game 5 with black so needs to draw/win in game 6 to qualify.

[Mick Norris]

Niemann out, as is Oro, Sarin, Tari

Pragg survived a lost position and found a miraculous save to keep his match going.

I see he's lost with white

Mickey 1 up too

[NickFaulks]

Pragg survived a lost position and found a miraculous save to keep his match going.

But he lost the first game with White and is now behind the 8-ball again.

[LawrenceCooper]

Pragg survived a lost position and found a miraculous save to keep his match going.

But he lost the first game with White and is now behind the 8-ball again.

Yes, sadly ran out of time in a worse but not lost position.

[LawrenceCooper]

Mickey draws game 7 from a promising position whilst Nikita loses the first decisive game of their match.

[Roger de Coverly]

Has there ever been a real underdog that has won through to the semi-finals in the period where that would bring you very close to a Candidates spot, or have the top-rated players tended to win this event?

Going back in time to when FIDE regarded the event as a world championship, you had Khalifman in 1999,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Khalifman
Accprding to wiki, he was ranked 44 at the time.

Kasparov described some of the quarter finalists as "tourists". Khalifman among them I suspect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDE_Worl ... nship_1999

[LawrenceCooper]

Mickey draws game 7 from a promising position whilst Nikita loses the first decisive game of their match.

This time it's Mickey who escapes with a draw but Nikita is eliminated.

[NickFaulks]

What??

[LawrenceCooper]

Mickey draws game 7 from a promising position whilst Nikita loses the first decisive game of their match.

This time it's Mickey who escapes with a draw but Nikita is eliminated.

Mickey 1 up again so needs to hold (or better) with white to avoid the armageddon game.

[LawrenceCooper]

Mickey draws game 7 from a promising position whilst Nikita loses the first decisive game of their match.

This time it's Mickey who escapes with a draw but Nikita is eliminated.

Mickey 1 up again so needs to hold (or better) with white to avoid the armageddon game.

Another win and Mickey qualifies.

[Mick Norris]

Good news

Mickey v Lodici next, not a name I know

[LawrenceCooper]

Good news

Mickey v Lodici next, not a name I know

I don't know much about him but he was impressive in knocking out Hans Niemann.