Indian Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh pulled off a stunning upset at the 2025 FIDE World Cup, defeating two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi. The Russian’s post-match comments blaming conditions in India sparked outrage among fans.
In a major upset at the ongoing
2025 FIDE World Cup, Indian Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh stunned two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi to advance to the next round. Playing with black pieces, Diptayan capitalised on a small mistake from the Russian early in the game and converted it into a brilliant win in 47 moves.
“Defeating Nepo in a match is a big thing. So definitely it’s a big day. It will take some time to sink in (the win),” Diptayan, who is competing in his very first World Cup, said after the victory.
🚨 UPSET ALERT
Ian Nepomniachtchi (2732) loses to 🇮🇳 Diptayan Ghosh (2573) in Game 2 and is eliminated from the #FIDEWorldCup! pic.twitter.com/Ar2z3fWjpm— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 5, 2025
However, Nepomniachtchi’s reaction after the loss has sparked controversy. The reigning joint-Blitz champion blamed the conditions in India, saying it was “one of those places you won’t regret leaving.” He reportedly left the country within an hour of his exit from the Chess World Cup.
“I’d played in India before (in 2019 in Kolkata), so I had a general idea of what the conditions would be like. But FIDE, to their credit, managed to surprise me. There’s nothing to say about the chess aspect. It’s one of those places you won’t regret leaving,” Nepomniachtchi wrote on Telegram.
Nepomniachtchi slammed by fans
His comments have not gone down well with fans, who accused him of being disrespectful and making excuses. One user hit back sharply, writing, “Sore loser this guy — Ian Nepomniachtchi is. How dare he comment on random stuff than accept the defeat and realize that he is nowhere good in chess even against a 2573 rating guy.”
Sore loser this guy- Ian Nepomniachtchi is. How dare he comment on random stuff than accept the defeat and realize that he is nowhere good in chess even against a 2573 rating guy.
— Parth Shah (@arjunaatwar) November 5, 2025
Ian Nepomniachtchi…..you absolute crybaby!
Gotta thank Ding for screwing this dude over!
— Norse_Code (@Norse_Codee) November 6, 2025
The Dishonourable Sore Loser of Chess, Ian Nepomniachtchi.
— Indie Chess (@IndieChess) November 6, 2025
Chess World Cup: Diptayan Ghosh, who once took a 2-year break to work in a bank, beats 2-time world championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi
Within an hour of the defeat, the Russian was seen checking out of the hotel. His loss to an Indian biggest upset of the tournament so far— Nanda Kumar (@NandaKu53991398) November 6, 2025
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