Grandmaster Karthik Venkataraman continued his stellar run at the FIDE World Cup 2025, defeating Romania’s GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac in the second game of the tiebreaker with black pieces to enter the fourth round. After drawing the first rapid game, Karthik capitalized on his extra bishop to seal victory in 43 moves.
Reflecting on the match, the two-time National Champion said he handled the pressure well in the rapid games. With his win, five Indian players advanced to round four. Meanwhile, Vidit Gujrathi and Narayanan SL were eliminated after narrow tiebreak losses to Sam Shankland and Yu Yangyi respectively.