FIDE World Cup: R Praggnanandhaa’s early exit a consequence of ‘brutal, unforgiving’ format?

20-year-old’s consistent season, likelihood of Candidates qualification, does not blunt the blow of fourth-round loss, trainer says.

Praggnanandhaa was knocked out of FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 by Daniil Dubov. (PHOTO: Michal Walusza/FIDE)

The perennial debate whether winning the Chess World Cup is a more arduous task than clinching the World Championship has been reignited by the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa. In a tournament notorious for its brutal knockout format, this edition has been a graveyard for favourites, with eight of the top ten seeds already eliminated by the halfway stage. Among the most startling upsets was the exit of R Praggnanandhaa, the last edition’s finalist and one of the heavy favourites this time around, in the absence of Magnus Carlsen.

After his stunning run to the final two years ago – which placed him in rarefied company, making him the only Indian other than Viswanathan Anand to reach the summit clash – expectations for the ever-consistent prodigy were sky-high. Yet, from the start, Praggnanandhaa seemed uncharacteristically vulnerable. While his class carried him to the fourth round, his title race was over after losing to Russian Daniil Dubov in tiebreaks, leaving just two Indians in the fray.

Vaibhav Suri, Praggnanandhaa’s trainer, revealed that the Grandmaster from Chennai himself had carried significant expectations into the tournament.

File image of Vaibhav Suri competing at the Gibraltar International Chess Festival. (Photo courtesy John Saunders)

“Expectation-wise, everyone was probably hoping for Pragg to have a much longer run in the event, and he himself was anticipating the same,” Suri told The Indian Express from Goa. “But losses are a part of the game. I believe there are plenty of lessons to take away from this result. As unfortunate as it is, we have to accept it and figure out how to move forward.”

Having missed qualification for the Candidates via the 2024 FIDE Circuit, Praggnanandhaa left no stone unturned in his campaign to secure a spot through the 2025 Circuit. His year became a rigorous marathon of competition, as he scheduled tournament after tournament to maximise his chances.

ALSO READ | FIDE Chess World Cup 2025: Praggnanandhaa walks into trap set by Daniil Dubov, knocked out in fourth round; two Indians survive

Prior to this World Cup setback, Praggnanandhaa had been at his consistent best. He clinched major classical titles at the Tata Steel Masters, the Superbet Chess Classic Romania, and the Uzchess Cup. He also finished on the podium at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial and the Sinquefield Cup, and reached the Grand Chess Tour finals in Brazil.

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His persistence has seemed to have paid off as he now leads the Circuit by a healthy margin and is well-placed to book a ticket to the 2026 Candidates in Cyprus unless Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, or Nodirbek Abdusattorov wreak havoc of the highest order in the next 45 days.

India’s R Praggnanandhaa reacts during the game against Daniil Dubov in the tiebreaks of the FIDE World Cup in Goa. (Photo: Eteri Kublashvili via FIDE)

Despite the apparent silver lining of his FIDE Circuit lead, any thought that it mitigates the disappointment of the World Cup exit is firmly rejected by Suri. “It’s definitely not a relief to be out of the World Cup. Both of us wanted and expected to do much better. Regarding the FIDE Circuit, thankfully, he does have a lead, but it’s not at all a done deal. At least that’s the way we’re looking at it,” he opined.

Praggnanandhaa’s result in 2025 came at a cost. Since December of last year, he has been playing non-stop chess, a schedule that also proved to be a logistical nightmare for him and his team as they toured the globe.

INTERACTIVE: How Daniil Dubov beat Pragg

Suri still denies that exhaustion was a direct factor in Praggnanandhaa’s result in Goa. Instead, he credited his opponents, who proved to be an equal match for the Indian’s skill in each round.

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“If you carefully look at how the tournament has been going, no one has been clinical in their wins. It’s an unforgiving format. I don’t think any player, for that matter, is a pushover. His second-round opponent (Temur Kuybokarov), even though he was 200-odd points lower than Pragg, played an exceptional match,” Suri reasoned.

ALSO READ | Daniil Dubov says Praggnanandhaa ‘failed to pose single problem with white despite probably spending day and night looking at stuff’

After a bye in the opening round, Praggnanandhaa was dragged to the eighth game in the tiebreaks of Round 2 by Australian-Uzbek player Kuybokarov. Pragg then cruised past Armenia’s Robert Hovhannisyan in the third round before facing a rock-solid Daniil Dubov, who tested the Indian in every way possible. It never looked like Praggnanandhaa would be able to break through the Russians’ defences.

Dubov nearly won the first classical round before Pragg managed a great escape. He looked under pressure in the second game as well but manoeuvred to enforce tiebreaks. To break the deadlock, the 20-year-old had to beat the former World Rapid Champion in the rapid time format, but it proved too much to handle.

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Daniil Dubov speaks about beating Pragg

Dubov’s strategy was clear: he looked to pounce only in the short-time control tiebreaks after playing it safe in the classical rounds. The Russian stated that he anticipated Praggnanandhaa’s overambitious approach with the white pieces and knew when to wait for his winning chances.

“Dubov’s strategy was not a surprise. We did anticipate these things, but at the end of the day, you’re trying to win,” Suri said. “If you’re trying to win, you have to take risks because victories won’t fall into your hands. Sometimes those risks pay off, sometimes they don’t… that’s the nature of the game. Props to Dubov that his strategy worked out for him so well.”