When Ian Nepomniachtchi offered excuses into his exit from the FIDE Chess World Cup ongoing in Goa, it had come off as his inability to adjust to Indian conditions and jet lag havocing with his game.
But a Russian language video from his Telegram channel, translated loosely by ChatGPT on the chess icon sub-reddit offered additional details into how things panned out. It offered context of the conditions Nepomniachtchi was mentioning after he was eliminated from the World Cup.
However it must be noted that FIDE and the local organisers had told The Indian Express that the player had not raised his issues in an official complaint with them in writing.
The Russian said the World Cup was the main reason for the video, where he elaborated on the problems he endured at a specific venue in Goa. “The World Cup was in India, and you have to say—it’s a very specific place. I wasn’t at the Olympiad there two or three years ago, which was held in Chennai. They say it was quite okay, actually—better than expected, even though it was summer and very hot,” the translation read.
Nepomniachtchi recalled he had played in India once before, in Kolkata, about six years ago, at the Grand Chess tournament, when the Indian cricket team’s jamboree was in town simultaneously.
“The hotel was decent, but there were armed guards on every floor because cricket players were staying there too—it was a big deal for the city. Fans were enthusiastic, but I was unpleasantly surprised by the conditions overall. The players’ lounge, for example, was tiny and had no ventilation—very uncomfortable between rounds. Anyway, that was a short commercial event, not to be taken too seriously.”
However Nepomniachtchi said he had the same problems then that he had now: the time difference between India and Moscow is two and a half hours, but by the sun it feels more like Siberia—definitely more than two and a half hours, he said.
Food was at the core of the issue.
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“And, of course, the big problem for me—and probably for many others—is the food. The food is very specific. Meat isn’t really available—basically just chicken. I remember in Kolkata the restaurant was good, more European-style, but this time in Goa, not so much,” the translation read.
“There were only a few European-style dishes—some vegetables, and occasionally pasta that was almost edible, with minimal spices. So I mostly lived on rice and flatbreads. Fruits were available, but how many pineapples can you eat to meet your daily calories? Breakfast was okay—you could order an omelet, which felt like a luxury by hotel standards,” he said.
Nepomniachtchi insisted the venue overall was a problem. “The hotel itself… well, let’s just say I wasn’t the first and won’t be the last to complain. Even other chess players posted about it—Maxim Chigaev, for instance, showed that his “five-star” hotel view was of a construction site,” he said.
A further C squared podcast hosted by American Fabiano Caruana, had GM Christian Chirila talking about bedbugs. These claims have been dismissed by Dutch GM Anish Giri on the livestream of ChessBase India during the third round tiebreaks.
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Nepomniachtchi’s criticisms also reflect his frustration. He lost in Round 2 to an unfancied Indian, and as a result hasn’t qualified for Candidates. Visa issues for tournaments in UK and USA have left the Russian beleaguered, especially after London refused him a visa at Global Chess League.
But the heat definitely got to the Russian.
“The climate was extremely humid, 30°C even in November. When the air conditioner doesn’t work, it’s no joke. We flew overnight from Moscow, and I made the mistake of sleeping in the afternoon, which ruined my schedule for the next three days. I couldn’t adjust,” he said.
“The room itself was terrible. I’ve been traveling to tournaments since I was about 10, and this was one of the worst. Like an off-season family resort turned into a cheap children’s tournament hotel.”
His complaints resulted in even bigger wretchedness. “I asked FIDE officials about alternative accommodation, and they offered me a villa that was ironically even cheaper—but I soon found out why. The villa was quieter, but at night the power kept cutting out, meaning the air conditioning stopped too,” he recalled. He landed in the breaker box (disconnector) to repair it, but it didn’t work out. “I learned to reset it from the breaker box, but it would just shut off again after a while.
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“Eventually, I regretted leaving my original room. Even though it was noisy and faced some sort of construction area, it had blackout curtains and more stable power.”
He confessed all of it impacted his performance. “So, when you don’t sleep well, don’t eat well, and can’t get into rhythm—it’s not great for performance. Add heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and jet lag—it’s brutal.”
Nepomniachtchi also claimed it was the only venue in Goa with a conference hall that could be converted into a long playing room.
“The hotel claimed to be five stars, but realistically it was maybe a low three. When I asked FIDE why they chose that place, they said it was the only hotel in Goa with a conference hall. Technically true, but to reach the restroom from the hall, you had to go outside into +30°C heat and back into a freezing 21°C air-conditioned room. Not ideal. So overall, very tough conditions. Those more accustomed to India probably had an advantage,” he ended. Anish Giri had rubbished this claim too, pointing out that the washrooms for players were five metres away from the playing area.
