Bonus Pod- After Plenty of Upsets- 32 Players Remain in the FIDE World Cup (with IM Michael Rahal from Goa)

Perpetual Chess Podcast

Perpetual Chess LLC

Leisure, Sports, Hobbies

4.8 • 706 Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The 2025 FIDE World Cup has been as dramatic as ever. Top seeds like GM Gukesh D, Ian Nepomniatchtchi, and Anish Giri have been eliminated, but we still have some top 10 stalwarts remaining, as well as many surprise advancers to the Round of 32. Joining from Goa, FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal helps break it all down. We discuss: Should we be surprised by the number of upsets? The performances of veterans like GM Peter Leko (still in) and GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (eliminated) Whether the reports of poor playing conditions in Goa are well-founded Key matchups to watch when play resumes tomorrow, and who might clinch a FIDE Candidates spot Timestamps for topics discussed are below. 00:00 Introduction and Overview of the World Cup 04:00- IM Michael Rahal joins 06:32 Patreon mailbag question- Does the number of upsets suggest that the top players are protected? Mentioned: Chessnumbers-data https://x.com/ChessNumbers/status/1986634183415111831?s=20 Peter Leko interview with Chessbase India- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Fh1lQBmGI&t=3s 09:00 Notable Matches 11:30 The Impact of Player Preparation and Conditions 15:30 Match Predictions and Player Insights 18:00 Reflections on Chess Legends and Their Influence 23:00 Reflections on Ivanchuk’s Press Conference 25:00 Reflections on Daniel Naroditsky 28:00 Tournament Conditions and Player Experiences Tweet from GM Neiksans: https://x.com/GMNeiksans/status/1986117054911684978?s=20 37:00 Upcoming FIDE Candidates in Cyprus 39:00- Breaking down the brackets https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1osncpq/world_cup_2025_pairings_for_final_32/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button 46:00 Rest Day Activities and Team Spirit 48:00- Thanks to IM Michael Rahal for joining me! Here is how to keep up with him: X: https://x.com/Rahal_Michael Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelanthony.rahal/ FIDE YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FIDE_chess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Sean has had some good ideas over the years, but using Canva was a really good one.
0:08.0	Sean designed some social posts to promote his friend's car boot sale.
0:13.0	They looked good, really, really good.
0:17.0	Next thing he knows, someone came and bought the lot, including the car.
0:24.5	Now Sean doesn't know how he's going to get home.
0:28.0	Thanks, Canva.
0:30.9	And we are honored, as always, to be rejoined by a friend of the pod,
0:34.8	Fide Press Officer, author, trainer.
0:37.0	He's staying up a little late,
0:39.1	although mainly giving up his rest day
0:41.1	to join us from Goa, India,
0:43.2	International Master Michael Rehal.
0:45.3	Michael, good to see you again.
0:48.1	Hi, Ben. This is becoming a sort of tradition
0:50.3	connecting here from the World Cup.
0:52.9	I think this is a third.
0:54.4	Yeah.
0:54.8	And as always, happy to be on your podcast and encouraging you the good work you do each
1:02.2	week with the, yes.
1:03.5	So thanks.
1:04.2	Well, I really, thank you.
1:06.1	I really appreciate you doing it on a rest day.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Perpetual Chess LLC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Perpetual Chess LLC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.