Vincent Keymer: "I want to play well"

by André Schulz
11/6/2025 – Himank Ghosh conducted an interview with Vincent Keymer for ChessBase India after his victory over Vladislav Kovalev secured his place in the third round. Keymer said he was satisfied with his performance, but admitted, “There is pressure, especially the pressure I put on myself!”
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Vincent Keymer was one of the top seeds for the second round of the World Cup in Goa, where he faced the Belarusian grandmaster Vladislav Kovalev. Kovalev was at his peak in 2019 with an Elo rating of just over 2700, so he was no easy opponent. Nevertheless, Keymer secured victory with two wins.

In the first game, Keymer had a winning position against Kovalev, but a careless move in the final phase gave his opponent a chance to draw. Kovalev did not take advantage of this, however. If you only draw the first game in a match against a nominally weaker opponent, the pressure on the favourite for the second game increases considerably. That's why it's good to set the record straight with a win right away.

In the second game, Keymer played white and opted for a 'controlled game'. Kovalev chose an unusual opening. The position was perhaps slightly better for Keymer until Kovalev played the questionable move ...f4. After that, White had a clear advantage.

Keymer said that he has played in India several times, in Kolkata and Chennai. This is his first time playing in Goa. He believes that the World Cup is a very special tournament because it lasts a long time and is nerve-wracking; a defeat can mean elimination, unlike in other tournaments where you can recover in subsequent games. With the chance to still qualify for the Candidates Tournament, the pressure on him is even greater.

Vincent Keymer's coach, Peter Leko, is also in Goa, but he is also playing in the World Cup. "The preparation is already done," said Keymer. "In that respect, it doesn't matter much." Having his father with him in Goa is a great source of support for Keymer.

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Topics: ChessBase India, Vincent Keymer, World Cup 2025
André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.
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World Cup 2025: How good are the chances for the favourites?

10/31/2025 – The first round of the World Cup will begin in Goa, India, on 1 November at 15:00 local time. A total of 206 players will compete; the oldest participant is 65-year-old Igor Efimov, while the youngest is Faustino Oro, who turned 12 in October. The prize money totals 2 million US dollars, and the top three finishers will qualify for the Candidates Tournament. Matches will consist of two games, with rapid chess and blitz tiebreaks following a 1–1 score. The loser is eliminated. Vincent Keymer is officially seeded 6th, but according to the live world rankings, he is effectively ranked 1st. So, how good are his chances of finishing in the top three? | Photo: FIDE
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He wins and wins and wins: Keymer now number four in the world

10/23/2025 – Vincent Keymer raised his live Elo rating to 2771.7 with his third victory in three games at the European Club Cup in Rhodes. He is currently fourth in the world rankings, just ahead of Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, who he will play against in the fifth round of the European Club Cup. | Photo: Gerd Densing
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Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.