Ep-41: FIDE World Cup 2025 Goa Chaos: Gukesh Eliminated, German Wave Shocks the Chess World

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Welcome back everyone to Chess Times – your weekly dive into the chess world, where we unpack the stories behind the moves. I’m your host, and with me is none other than GM Priyadharshan Kannappan. Hey, Priyadharshan, you ready for this?

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Hey! Hey to you and all our listeners. Huge week on the 64 squares, seriously. I mean, if you blinked, you missed some massive upsets in Goa – let’s get right to it.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Right, we’ve got to start with this: FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa is, like, chaos. Defending world champ D Gukesh, number one seed, eliminated super early! He lost to Frederik Svane from Germany – honestly, not a result I saw coming.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Totally with you there. And Gukesh isn’t the only big name who’s headed home. We had Anish Giri knocked out, then Nodirbek Abdusattorov, even Shakhriyar Mamedyarov gone already. To lose that many top seeds this fast – wow, I think the whole bracket’s shaking.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

That’s the word! And it really shows how wild knockout formats can be, especially with these short time controls. You get one slip – just one – and suddenly, you’re out. It’s like, even world champs don’t have any “safe round” anymore.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Yeah, and you can actually feel the tension on-site when something like that happens. I remember being at a tournament—different event, but same kind of setup—a top seed got knocked out, and you could literally sense the air change. Everyone’s recalculating their chances, you know? The bracket just opens up for everyone else, and suddenly every player left believes, “Hey, maybe it’s my year.”

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

That underdog energy, right? And it’s not just fun for the audience; I bet it’s stressful for everyone playing too. Like you said, all it takes is one moment, and the whole tournament landscape shifts.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Absolutely. You can be the world champ, you can be a favorite, but in this format, nobody gets guarantees. It really puts the spotlight on stamina and nerves almost as much as actual play.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

And talking about high-pressure situations – Hans Niemann is another headline from Goa. I mean, second round, he’s suddenly out, drops to a much lower-seeded Lorenzo Lodici from Italy. That must be rough.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Yeah, that result surprised a lot of people. After everything Niemann’s been through, people really wanted to see how far he could go. But one mistake in a rapid tiebreak – and you might as well pack your bags. It’s brutal.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

It’s wild how even a single error—like, literally just one move—in these rapid tiebreaks can decide everything. Sometimes the player with the bigger name just doesn’t get a second chance.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Exactly. It sends a message to everyone: there just isn’t much margin for error. Even if you’ve been making headlines all year or you’re trying to prove a point—like Hans—these knockout formats don’t care about reputation. You have to be perfect, or as close as possible.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Right. Honestly, it reminds me of watching those U.S. college chess streams, where the favorites get toppled in one dramatic round. And—oh, this is kind of random—but I remember this one game, the underdog just fought back, and you could see the comeback energy right on camera. That’s why college chess is so hype right now.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Totally! And speaking of U.S. collegiate chess, the Collegiate Chess League has been real unpredictable this season. University of Texas, Dallas – UTD – they shocked everyone by beating defending champs Saint Louis University, right?

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Something that really gets my attention this year is how it’s not always the “usual suspects” making waves. Like, look at Germany. Their young team in Goa—super coordinated, lots of talent, just quietly making deep runs in the bracket while all the focus is on the high-profile exits.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Yeah, this is definitely one of those “meta” stories. I mean, as chess fans, we talk a lot about single stars and the world’s top five. But right underneath, there are national programs building legit depth. It’s not just one prodigy—it’s, like, whole squads learning and rising together.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Right, and this is the direction the chess world is heading. You see it in the German squad in Goa, just as you do in top collegiate teams like UTD or Texas Tech. They’re growing from the ground up, building programs that prepare young players for that next step—whether it’s international events or top-level college play.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)

Yeah, and it’s even more interesting seeing how the energy from those academic programs feeds back into the national scene, you know? Like, Germany in Goa, UTD and Texas Tech here in the U.S.—it’s this two-way thing. It just keeps raising the bar, everywhere.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Absolutely. That’s why, these days, international chess is more unpredictable than ever. You’ve got wider diversity, more countries and universities all producing hungry, ambitious new faces. It makes for great stories—and makes you realize, the next big headline could come from anywhere.

Young, American, Crisp, Female Voice (Conversational)