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Controversy at Chess World Cup in Goa: Lithuanian GM issues complaint against India's Pranav V; 3rd arbiter involved
Even a third arbiter was involved in settling the dispute, which was quickly settled, and then the game resumed as Pranav V received a formal warning.
The ongoing Chess World Cup 2025 saw controversy on Friday, as Lithuanian GM Titas Stremavicius issued a complaint against Indian GM Pranav V during their third round showdown. Stremavicius reportedly raised the complaint after Pranav made several moves without recording them on his scoresheet. It is not in accordance with rules and regulations which needs players to note down each and every move.
Even a third arbiter was involved in settling the dispute, which was quickly settled, and then the game resumed as Pranav received a formal warning. Pranav eventually secured victory, and is leading in the third-round match.
Also Read: Nepomniachtchi criticises Chess World Cup's ‘conditions’ in Goa, slams FIDE after early exit: ‘Won't be sad to leave'
Pranav V breaks silence on the controversy
Opening up on the controversy later, Pranav said, "I did not know this, but you cannot make, like, I think, three moves without writing."
Indians were in good form on Friday, as even Arjun Erigaisi and Pentala Harikrishna registered wins with white pieces. Meanwhile, reigning world champion D Gukesh drew his match with black in his opening Round 3 game.
Erigaisi defeated Uzbekistan's Shamsiddin Vokhidov in only 30 moves. Meanwhile, Harikrishna beat Belgium's Daniel Dardha in only 25 moves.
"I had prepared something new. Of course, there was help for me, but I could not recall all the moves in this variation. But there were some nice tricks that happened, and some moves my opponent missed. Basically, he didn't realise the danger properly in the game," said Harikrishna.
A total of 10 Indians have advanced to the third round of the FIDE World Cup 2025, a single-elimination knockout tournament featuring 206 players from 82 countries. Some big names have been eliminated already, with Ian Nepomniachtchi crashing out after his second round defeat, so did Wesley So and Hans Niemann.
