Argentine wonderkid IM Faustino Oro, just 12 years old, continued his remarkable run at the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 by holding India’s Vidit Gujrathi to back-to-back draws. The thrilling second-round encounter took place on Wednesday in Arpora, Goa, and pushed the Indian Grandmaster into the tiebreak stage.

Nicknamed the “Messi of Chess,” Oro once again displayed maturity beyond his age. Despite facing India’s No. 5 and a former Candidates player, he showed strong composure and deep calculation in both classical games.

Young Talent Stuns Experienced Opponent

In the first classical match on Tuesday, Oro dominated the board early and maintained a time advantage throughout. Vidit, the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss winner, was unable to find a breakthrough and had to settle for a draw through a threefold repetition.

The second match followed a similar script. Vidit again trailed on the clock while the young Argentine controlled the rhythm of play. Eventually, the game ended peacefully, confirming Oro’s spot in the tiebreaks.

Vidit Faces Tiebreak Challenge

Vidit now enters a decisive tiebreak round to determine who advances to the third round. The tiebreak begins with two rapid games of 15 minutes each with a 10-second increment. If those end in draws, the players will move to faster formats — including 10-minute, five-minute, and three-minute blitz games. If still tied, a sudden-death match will decide the winner.

Other Indian Players in Action

Several top Indian players also faced testing moments in the second round. World Champion and top seed D. Gukesh, along with third seed R. Praggnanandhaa, both drew their first matches and must now win to qualify directly for the next round.

Meanwhile, India’s No. 1 player Arjun Erigaisi defeated Martin Petrov of Bulgaria in the first game and needs only a draw to advance.

The tiebreaks for the third round are scheduled for Thursday.