Overview
- Germany’s Frederik Svane eliminated top seed and reigning world champion D. Gukesh 1.5–0.5 after converting the second classical game in a knight‑and‑pawn ending.
- High‑profile exits continued with Anish Giri losing to Alexander Donchenko and Nodirbek Abdusattorov falling to Jose Martinez, highlighting a volatile round.
- India’s P. Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, V. Pranav, and R. Praggnanandhaa advanced to Round 4, with Erigaisi set to face Peter Leko next.
- Vidit Gujrathi, S. L. Narayanan, and Karthik Venkataraman head to Sunday tiebreaks, while Pranesh M lost to Vincent Keymer and Diptayan Ghosh was ousted by Gabriel Sargissian.
- Operational flashpoints included a recording‑moves dispute that led to a formal warning for Pranav V, an arbiter enforcing touch‑move in Pranesh‑Keymer, and viral scenes of tight security around Gukesh at the Goa venue.