GM Divya Deshmukh is in danger of a first-round knockout in the FIDE World Cup in Goa. The Women's World Cup champion lost the first game of her opening round to Greek GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis on Saturday.

Divya must win the second game against the same opponent with black pieces on Sunday to force a tie-breaker. If the game ends in a draw, Divya, one of the young Indian stars, will be knocked out. 

The FIDE World Cup is an 8-round knockout tournament. The first round features 156 players, including World Champion D Gukesh and a host of leading players. However, World No 1 Magnus Carlsen is not participating.

Two Kerala GMs, Nihal Sarin and S L Narayanan, are also taking part. While Nihal, Gukesh, and a host of top players received byes in their first round match-ups, Narayanan drew with black pieces against Peruvian IM Steven Rojas. Thiruvananthapuram native Narayanan will be hoping to advance with a win with white on Sunday.

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