Chess-World champion Gukesh suffers early World Cup exit

World champion Gukesh Dommaraju was knocked out of the World Cup in the third round on Saturday as the top guns continued to falter in a highly volatile tournament. The top three finishers at the Goa, India event, which ends on November 27, qualify for the Candidates tournament, an eight-player event that decides who challenges Gukesh for the world title in 2026.

Joining top seed Gukesh on his way out of the World Cup were Grand Swiss champion Anish Giri of the Netherlands, the fourth seed, and world number 12 Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan. American Hans Niemann, twice world championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and world number eight Wesley So were eliminated earlier in the eight-round tournament.

Six of the top 10 seeds have been eliminated. Gukesh needed only a draw with the white pieces to force a tiebreak against German world number 85 Frederik Svane but lost his way in the middlegame.

Indians Arjun Erigaisi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa both advanced to the fourth round.