FIDE Files Ethics Complaint Against Vladimir Kramnik Amid Cheating Allegations Backlash

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FIDE files ethics complaint against Vladimir Kramnik for harassing GMs Daniel Naroditsky and David Navara with unsubstantiated cheating accusations, amid widespread outrage following Naroditsky’s tragic death.

Analyzing the Final 32 of the Chess World Cup

November 11, 2025

Keymer Harikrishna Nguyen Chess World Cup 2025 Walusza

A strange bracket of 32 players, with an odd & coincidental imbalance.

Nakamura Seals Candidates Rating Spot – Only Carlsen Could Stop Him

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Hikaru Nakamura locks in his 2026 Candidates rating spot with 40 classical games, leaving only Magnus Carlsen as a theoretical threat—who has no intention of returning.

Gukesh, Giri, Nodirbek, Shaks, Fedoseev leave World Cup Goa

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On a bloodbath day for seeds GMs Gukesh, Giri, Nodirbek, Shakhriyar were eliminated after the classical section of the third round in the FIDE World Cup Goa…

Carlsen, Aronian, Alireza, Erigaisi in quarters @ Esports World Cup Riyadh

Posted on July 30, 2025 BY R.R. Vasudevan

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen playing for Team Liquid took off with a nice win against former world rapid champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Team Na’Vi) in the first round and followed it clinching a close fought thriller against Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Team Twisted Minds) booking his quarter-final berth the $1.5 million Esports World Cup at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Chess makes its entry in the 2025 EWC which carries a whopping $70 million across multiple events running for close to two months.

Continuing his fine run from Las Vegas GM Levon Aronian (Team Reject) swept past his two opponents moving into the quarter-finals. Also marching their way to the quarter-finals were GMs Arjun Erigaisi (Team Gen G) and Alireza Firouzja (Team Falcons).

Favorites needing to win their next match in Loser’s bracket to stay alive are GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi (Group A), Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Group B), Javokhir Sindarov and Hikaru Nakamura (Group C) and Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Fabiano Caruana (Group D).

GM Andrey Esipenko (Team Virtus Pro) came in as a last minute replacement for GM Vladimir Fedoseev who withdrew from EWC 2025. In the very first round, Qatar Masters champion Esipenko derailed the pre-tournament favorite and twice world championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi.

In the prize pool of $1.5 million the winner takes home $250,000 followed by the Runner-up $190000, third place $145000, fourth place $115000, fifth to eighth $85,000 each, ninth to twelfth $65,000 each, with the the last four placed GMs getting $50,000 each. The time control for two game mini-matches are 10 minutes (no increment), with an Armageddon game played, if necessary. The Group stage matches are played on 29th & 30th July while the play-offs are scheduled for 31st July & 1st August, 2025.

The life changing prize pool for the $ 70 million Esports World Cup 2025 second day’s play starts by Wednesday 30th July at 3 PM local time, 5:30 PM IST.

Carlsen Magnus (2819) – Abdusattorov Nodirbek (2740) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 c6 7. h3 Bf5 8. e3 Qb6 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 O-O 11. O-O Nbd7 12. Qc2 a5 13. Ne1 Qa6 14. Nd3 a4 15. Rfc1 Rfe8 16. Qd1 Bf8 17. b4 axb3 18. axb3 Qb6 19. b4 Ne4 20. Rxa8 Rxa8 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Nc5 Nf6 23. Be5 Nd5 24. Nxe4 Qxb4 25. Nc5 Bxc5 26. dxc5 Qe4 27. Bd4 Rd8 28. Qg4 Qxg4 29. hxg4 Nc7 30. Rb1 Nb5 31. Rb4 f6 32. f4 Kf7 33. Kf2 Ra8 34. Bb2 h6 35. Kf3 Ra2 36. e4 Ra8 37. Ke3 Rd8 38. Ra4 Rd1 39. Ra1 Rd8 40. f5 Ke7 41. e5 fxe5 42. Bxe5 Kf7 43. Kf4 Rd5 44. Ra8 Rxc5? (44…g5+ holds)

45. Rb8 g5+ 46. fxg6+ Kxg6 47. Rxb7 Rxe5 48. Kxe5 Nc3 49. Kf4 Ne2+ 50. Ke3 Nc3 51. Kf3 Nd5 52. Rd7 Kg5 53. Rd6 Nb4 54. Re6 Nc2 55. Re5+ Kf6 56. Rc5 Nd4+ 57. Ke4 1-0

Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2699) – Caruana Fabiano (2756) 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 dxc4 4. e4 b5 5. a4 c6 6. axb5 cxb5 7. b3 Nf6 8. bxc4 Nxe4 9. Bd3 Bb4+ 10. Kf1 Nf6 11. cxb5 Bb7 12. h4 O-O 13. Rh3 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 Nb6 15. Nb3 Bd5 16. Ne5 Rc8 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. dxc5 Rxc5 19. Ba3 Bxg2+ 20. Kxg2 Rxe5 21. Bxf8 Qxf8 22. Rxa7 g6 23. Qf3 Kg7 24. Rg3 Nbd5 25. Rg5 Qb8 26. Rxe5 Qxe5 27. Bf1 Qd4 28. Ra3 Qxh4 29. Kg1 h5 30. Qg3 Qd4 31. Rd3 Qc5 32. Rf3 Ng4 33. Qb8 Qd4 34. Qb7 Ne5 35. Rh3 h4 36. Qa8 Qg4+ 37. Kh1 Qe4+ 38. Kg1 Nf3+ 39. Rxf3 Qxf3 40. Qa1+ Kh7 41. Qd4 g5 42. b6 Qb3?? (42…Nf4=)