FIDE World Cup: Iniyan stuns Bogner, Bhakti advances after walkover

While B. Adhiban beat Chiletso Chipanga in the first game to seize the early advantage, P. Iniyan got the better of the higher-rated Sebastian Bogner with white pieces.

Young Grandmaster P. Iniyan stunned higher-rated Swiss rival Sebastian Bogner, while B. Adhiban, Aravindh Chithambaram, R. Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin made a winning start to their World Cup campaign in Sochi, Russia, on Monday.

D. Gukesh was the only Indian to settle for a draw in the opening game of the first round.

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In the women’s section, Bhakti Kulkarni received a walkover into the second round after her Russian rival Anastasya Paramzina failed to turn up. She will now face 17th-seeded Russian Natalia Pogonina.

Padmini Rout proved superior to Azerbaijan’s Uliviyya Fataliyeva in 36 moves. She now needs to stay undefeated on Tuesday to advance into the second round.

R. Vaishali moved closer to victory against Canada’s Zhou Qiyu before blowing away her overwhelming advantage. Thanks to her extra knight, Vaishali found a way to win in 62 moves.