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Ex-India No. 1 GM Harikrishna questions Ian Nepomniachtchi's Chess World Cup criticism of conditions in Goa
Pentala Harikrishna also felt that Ian Nepomniachtchi could have approached FIDE directly, instead of 'making vague comments online'.
Former India No. 1 Pentala Harikrishna slammed Ian Nepomniachtchi after the Russian GM's comments regarding the Chess World Cup. Nepomniachtchi crashed out of the second round, losing to Indian GM Diptayan Ghosh. Nepomniachtchi was left fuming after his defeat and departed the playing hall immediately. One hour after his defeat, He was spotted checking out to leave his hotel. Meanwhile, he also took to his Telegram channel and slammed the tournament and its venue, stating that he wasn't 'sad to leave' due to Goa's playing 'conditions'.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Harikrishna questioned Nepomniachtchi's criticism and felt that he could have 'clearly pointed out' the problem, rather than making an open statement.
Also Read: Diptayan Ghosh ‘played new opening’ to eliminate Nepomniachtchi, Indian GM relishes ‘icing on the cake’ World Cup moment
"He has been criticising a lot of things lately, but it would be better if he clearly pointed out what he dislikes, rather than making statements that are open to numerous interpretations and speculation," he said.
"When you don’t like something, and if it can be improved or if it’s perhaps not as it appears, it can be discussed and rectified. That’s not an issue."
Harikrishna also felt that Nepomniachtchi could have approached FIDE directly, instead of 'making vague comments online'.
"This is an event with a huge prize fund and high stakes. A lot of effort from various people goes into it. Organising an event at any level is not easy, and this is a World Cup… it’s incredibly hard to secure funding. So, it’s best to clearly state if there was an issue. Maybe he could have approached the organising committee or FIDE instead of making vague comments online," he said.
The first game between Nepomniachtchi and Diptayan ended in a draw. Then Diptayan won in the second game, beating his opponent with black pieces. The Russian wasn't the only big name to get knocked out early. Even Vassily Ivanchuk, Wesley So and David Navara were eliminated.
