India, Feb. 3 -- Ian Nepomniachtchi has cleared the air on his controversial criticism of the 2025 Chess World Cup, which was held in Goa. The Russian GM lost to Diptayan Ghosh after getting a bye into the second round and was left fuming after his defeat. He criticised the hotel conditions for players, calling the venue (Resort Rio) substandard, with poor rooms, bad food, and poor service. Nepomniachtchi recently appeared on Greg Mustreader's YouTube podcast, where he compared the 2025 World Cup in Goa to other tournaments, and in a less harsh tone than before.

"Goa is a great place, first of all, with a good climate, it has everything. It's a beautiful place, but they chose probably one of the worst locations, one of the worst hotels. ...