FIDE World Cup 2025: India’s challenge ends at quarter-final stage as Arjun goes down against Wei Yi in tiebreak
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "FIDE World Cup 2025: India’s challenge ends at quarter-final stage as Arjun goes down against Wei Yi in tiebreak")
Arjun Erigaisi in action Photograph: (FIDE)
Arjun Erigaisi’s World Cup run ends in the quarter-finals after a tiebreak loss to Wei Yi. Despite a strong performance, Arjun couldn’t overcome the Chinese Grandmaster
India’s journey in the ongoing FIDE World Cup 2025 came to a halt on Wednesday (November 19) as Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi lost to China’s GM Wei Yi in the quarter-finals after a tense tiebreak. Arjun, the last remaining Indian in the competition, had drawn both of the classical games, setting the stage for a nail-biting tiebreak series. In the first tiebreak game, Arjun, playing with black, opted for the French Defense. While he found himself under pressure in the middle game, Wei Yi blundered on move 27 by choosing a cautious move, allowing Arjun to recover and hold the game to a draw after 66 moves.
In the second tiebreak, Arjun faced a challenging situation with white, as Wei Yi defended with the Petrov Defense. Despite Arjun’s best efforts, Wei gained a decisive advantage by move 28. Arjun fought to the bitter end, but Wei’s promotion of a pawn to a queen on move 79 forced Arjun to concede defeat, ending India’s hopes in the tournament.
Reflecting on his victory, Wei Yi said, “I am thrilled to beat such a strong opponent. In the first game, I had opportunities, but I couldn’t capitalize. In the second game, Arjun played aggressively, which allowed me to seize the advantage.”
In other quarter-final action, GM Andrey Esipenko advanced to the semifinals after defeating GM Sam Shankland in a dramatic tiebreak. Esipenko won both games in the second stage, securing a semifinal spot against Wei Yi. GM Javokhir Sindarov also progressed after beating Martinez Alcantara Jose Eduardo in his tiebreak set.
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