Overview
- Round 4 began with just two decisive results as Levon Aronian defeated Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Jose Eduardo Martinez beat Alexey Sarana, while 14 other boards were drawn.
- R Praggnanandhaa escaped with a draw after Daniil Dubov missed winning chances, and fellow Indians Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, Karthik Venkataraman and Pranav V also drew to keep all five in contention.
- Erigaisi agreed a 20‑move repetition with Peter Leko, Harikrishna held Nils Grandelius, Venkataraman split points with Le Quang Liem and Pranav shared the spoils with Nodirbek Yakubboev.
- Earlier rounds produced major upsets including world champion D Gukesh’s loss to Frederik Svane and exits for top seeds such as Anish Giri and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, underscoring the tiebreak‑heavy format’s volatility.
- Ian Nepomniachtchi expanded on complaints about hotel conditions, air conditioning and food in Goa, while on‑site players including Anish Giri and Vassily Ivanchuk disputed off‑site bedbug claims that remain unverified; FIDE also confirmed Cyprus’s Cap St Georges as the 2026 Candidates host.