There has been some scrutiny of the conditions provided to players at the ongoing FIDE World Cup in Goa ever since two-time world championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi grumbled about conditions after he was eliminated early in the second round by Indian grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh. Now, Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri has shut down these claims, branding some of the complaints as ‘exaggerated and ridiculous’. Having been eliminated in the third round, Giri made an appearance on the ChessBase India and Chess.com India livestream for the third round tiebreaks on Sunday where he dismissed some of the claims with his trademark humour. Story continues below this ad “I’d be lying if I said that it was not a challenge to play in India for Western players. But it’s the same, the other way around,” Giri, who is on his fourth trip to India in 2025, pointed out. “Obviously I knew there will be some challenges playing in India. Things like jet lag and different food. But it’s fair, because when I play in my cold city of …