Panaji: GM R. Praggnanandhaa made the most of the slight advantage he gained in the middle-game to beat GM Robert Hovhannisyan of Armenia as four Indians booked a place in the fourth round of the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Panaji on Saturday, while World Champion Gukesh D was knocked out.

Praggnanandhaa, who had to play a long tiebreak to reach the third round and then drew the first game with black, found himself in a tricky situation as it looked like Hovhannisyan had negated the Indians early advantage. But the third-highest-ranked Indian had a clear game plan and took control of the match by move 27 with his queen and rook putting pressure on black’s king. The Armenian ultimately resigned after 42 moves.

A total of 10 Indians have made it to the third round of the FIDE World Cup 2025, w

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