India’s campaign at the FIDE Chess World Cup came to a conclusion on Wednesday as the nation’s last remaining hope, Arjun Erigaisi, was eliminated in the quarterfinals. The second-seeded Indian was defeated by China’s Wei Yi in the rapid tie-breaker round after their two classical games had ended in draws earlier in the week.
While Arjun managed a resilient draw with black pieces in the first rapid game, he faltered with white in the second, allowing the seventh-seeded Wei to secure a 1.5-0.5 victory. This result extinguishes the Indian challenge at the home event, following the earlier exits of World Champion D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa.
The tie-breaks were a tense affair characterized by missed opportunities and complex endgames. In the first game, Wei appeared in control against Arjun's French Defence until a few weak moves allowed the Indian to equalize and salvage a draw in 66 moves.
However, the second game proved decisive. Facing the Petrov Defence, Arjun struggled early but managed to stabilize the position into an equal rook-and-bishop endgame. The turning point came on the 41st move when Arjun moved his rook to the wrong square, a blunder that Wei exploited. The Chinese Grandmaster converted his advantage to checkmate Arjun on the 79th move.
This defeat carries a setback for the 22-year-old World No. 6, who needed a top-three finish to secure a slot in the Candidates tournament scheduled for March-April next year in Cyprus. Marking the sixth time in three years that Arjun has narrowly missed out on Candidates qualification through various routes, including close calls at the 2023 World Cup and multiple Grand Swiss events.
Following the match, Wei Yi acknowledged the difficulty of the contest and suggested that a missed winning opportunity in the second classical game might have weighed on the Indian prodigy. "I had many chances in the first game, but I didn’t find even one way to win," Wei stated regarding the tie-break opener. Reflecting on the decisive second game, he added, "I think Arjun played some risky moves in the ending, and I realised I had some chances to win, too." He further praised his opponent, noting that Arjun is a "top player" who is dangerous in every time control.
With Arjun's departure, the semifinal lineup for the World Cup is set. Wei Yi will advance to face Russia’s Andrey Esipenko, who defeated American Sam Shankland 2-0 in their tie-break. The other semifinal will feature an all-Uzbek clash between Jovakhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Yakubboev. Sindarov secured his place by beating Mexico’s Jose Martínez Alcantara.