World Cup: Sindarov scores, Aronian and Shankland escape with draws

Friday’s action at the FIDE World Cup in Goa saw all eight round-of-16 matches begin with closely fought encounters. Seven games were ultimately drawn, even though Arjun Erigaisi and Daniil Dubov managed to put their opponents under real pressure. The only player to score a full point was Javokhir Sindarov, who outplayed Frederik Svane in an Italian Opening to take the early lead and leave the German grandmaster needing a win on Saturday. | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili