Overview
- Two results stood out in Game 1: Levon Aronian defeated Radoslaw Wojtaszek, and Jose Eduardo Martinez beat Alexey Sarana with black after his Round 3 upset of Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
- All five Indians still in the field drew their openers, including R Praggnanandhaa, who survived time pressure against Daniil Dubov, and Arjun Erigaisi, who split a 20‑move draw with Peter Leko.
- Other Indian results were level as P. Harikrishna held Nils Grandelius, Karthik Venkataraman drew Le Quang Liem, and Pranav V shared the point with Nodirbek Yakubboev.
- Across the board, Round 4 Game 1 produced mostly draws, including Awonder Liang pressing before Gabriel Sargissian defended to a half‑point.
- Tournament context remains turbulent after early upsets that eliminated D Gukesh, Anish Giri, and Abdusattorov, and the off‑board debate continued as Ian Nepomniachtchi detailed complaints about hotel conditions while Anish Giri rejected unverified bedbug claims and Vassily Ivanchuk praised the organisers.