Chess champion Gukesh eliminated early at the 2025 World Cup

A major upset occurred at the 2025 Chess World Cup when reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju was knocked out in the third round.

A significant surprise took place at the 2025 Chess World Cup as champion Gukesh Dommaraju was eliminated in the third round after losing to German player Frederik Svane.

After drawing the first game playing black, Gukesh (Elo 2,763) had the advantage of the white pieces in game two and needed a win to advance. However, the 19-year-old made a mistake in the knight-pawn endgame and was defeated after 55 moves. With a final score of 0.5-1.5, he was officially eliminated, handing the spot to Svane (Elo 2,640), ranked 85th in the world.

This result was disappointing for Indian fans, as Gukesh – the reigning world chess champion – was expected to progress far in the tournament held on home soil in Goa. The loss also highlighted his inconsistent form since claiming the world title at the end of 2024. In his last six classical tournaments, Gukesh only once finished in the top 3, at Norway Chess 2025, while usually ending in mid-table positions.

At the 2025 Grand Swiss, he ranked 41st out of 116 players – a modest achievement for the current world champion. It has now been three years since a reigning world champion last won a classical event, which was Magnus Carlsen in 2022.

Not only Gukesh, but the third round of this year’s World Cup also saw several top seeds eliminated, including Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Vladimir Fedoseev. These surprising outcomes have made the race for the title more unpredictable than ever.

Despite Gukesh’s departure, Indian chess still holds hope with four other grandmasters—Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Pentala Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, and Pranav Venkatesh—all of whom have advanced to the next round.

The World Cup in chess is a prestigious tournament held every two years featuring 206 players competing in a knockout format to select three qualifiers for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. This year’s event takes place in Goa, India, from November 1 to 27, with a total prize fund of 2 million USD.

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