World Cup: Dubov, Esipenko, Grebnev knock out Pragg, Keymer, MVL

Thursday’s tiebreakers at the FIDE World Cup in Goa saw several high seeds eliminated, including Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Vincent Keymer and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who were knocked out by Daniil Dubov (pictured), Andrey Esipenko and Aleksey Grebnev respectively. Six lower-rated players advanced overall, while five favourites held firm to reach the round of 16. With only five players from the top 20 still in contention and eight national federations represented, the field has tightened considerably as the Candidates race enters its decisive phase. | Photo: Michal Walusza