FIDE World Cup 30 October - 27 November 2025

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Other results I noticed:

Grandelius knocked out Bacrot.

Rasmus Svane knocked out Mamedov.

[Mick Norris]

I have belatedly taken a look at the tiebreak regulations, and in particular those for the Armageddon game.

"4. 7. 5. If the score is level after the games in Article 4.7.4, then one sudden death game shall be played. The sudden death game shall
be the following:
• White shall have 4 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1.
• Both players shall submit a time bid – specifying how much starting time they are willing to play with as Black, also with
a 2-second increment per move, starting from move 1. A bid cannot be more than 4 minutes. The player who submits the
lowest time wins the bid and plays with Black. If the players make exactly the same bid, Black starts with that amount of
time; a drawing of lots shall determine the colours.
• If the sudden death game is drawn, Black will win the match."

Is this the first time that the bidding approach has been used? It is not a new idea, having been recommended years ago by Stewart Reuben, with my support, as an approach which would eliminate argument about the fairness of different time differentials, but it was always rejected as being too arcane.

If it does come into play, as I expect it will at some point, I hope we shall see the players' bids.

Why may a bid not be more than 4 minutes? Are they worried that the players will conspire to each bid 12 hours?

Mamedov bid 3 minutes and got black; Svane bid 3 minutes 13 secs, got white, and won the game

[Paul Cooksey]

Magnus joined Jovi and David for a couple of hours on chess24

https://www.youtube.com/live/NAaIig36fg ... RbM&t=2443

[LawrenceCooper]

Magnus joined Jovi and David for a couple of hours on chess24

https://www.youtube.com/live/NAaIig36fg ... RbM&t=2443

His wife left a message in Twitch Chat to tell him that his lunch would be ready in 25 minutes!

[Mick Norris]

TWIC round 2 report

The second round concluded today, this round was where the event started in earnest, when the top seeds entered the fray. There has never been a shock winner of this event, but there are always surprise eliminations. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wesley So and Hans Moke Niemann all would have fancied their chances against anyone, but Diptayan Ghosh, Titas Stremavicius and Lorenzo Lodici all had different ideas. Santosh Gujrathi Vidit had a bit too much for wunderkind Faustino Oro, well known players Vassily Ivanchuk, David Navara, Ray Robson and Johan-Sebastian Christiansen didn't survive the round either.

[NickFaulks]

After Mickey's heroics yesterday, I assumed he would be content with a straightforward draw today. He seems to have got a lot more.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

After Mickey's heroics yesterday, I assumed he would be content with a straightforward draw today. He seems to have got a lot more.

Sadly looking drawn now at about move 50. Computer several times insisted a win was available with a weird king move. Q + P endings not easy.

[LawrenceCooper]

After Mickey's heroics yesterday, I assumed he would be content with a straightforward draw today. He seems to have got a lot more.

Sadly looking drawn now at about move 50. Computer several times insisted a win was available with a weird king move. Q + P endings not easy.

Now drawn.

[Mick Norris]

Draw; computer evaluation went from +6.2 to zero after 45 ...d3, back to +5.4 after 48 Qe5, then back to zero after Mickey replied with Qc1+

[Roger de Coverly]

Sadly looking drawn now at about move 50. Computer several times insisted a win was available with a weird king move. Q + P endings not easy.

The idea seemed to be to march the King across the centre and take refuge on the Queenside. That had the additional merit of defending the c pawn.

[Mick Norris]

Wins for Erigaisi, Martinez Alcantara (with black v Abdusattorov), Le Quang Liem (with black v Xiong), Aronian (black v Salem), Grebnev (black, there's a theme here), Harikrishna, Idani (v Esipenko), Bluebaum (with black), Sargsyan (with black)

Probably more wins to come

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Leonard Barden's column in The Guardian about the Round 2 drama:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/ ... -game-epic

Chess: Russian star and top Americans fall in World Cup but Adams wins 10-game epic

Picture of Mickey with the caption:

Michael Adams beat Ivan Cheparinov to reach the last 64 of the World Cup in Goa and is now the oldest player remaining in the competition.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Wins for Erigaisi, Martinez Alcantara (with black v Abdusattorov), Le Quang Liem (with black v Xiong), Aronian (black v Salem), Grebnev (black, there's a theme here), Harikrishna, Idani (v Esipenko), Bluebaum (with black), Sargsyan (with black)

Probably more wins to come

13 out of the 32 matches had decisive Game 1 results. So four more to add to Mick's list above.

Sarana, Pranav, Wojtaszek, Leko. Not checked colours.

[LawrenceCooper]

After Mickey's heroics yesterday, I assumed he would be content with a straightforward draw today. He seems to have got a lot more.

Sadly looking drawn now at about move 50. Computer several times insisted a win was available with a weird king move. Q + P endings not easy.

Now drawn.

Game 2 already very lively, opposite side castling and Mickey has sacrificed a pawn.

[NickFaulks]

Looks completely winning after 14 moves, much like yesterday.

Checking back, yesterday was 24 moves, felt quicker than that.