 "Arjun Erigaisi is out of the 2025 FIDE World Cup. X/FIDE")
Arjun Erigaisi, India’s lone remaining hope in the ongoing FIDE World Cup 2025, was knocked out in the quarter-finals after losing to Wei Yi in the tie-breaker on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Arjun had managed to hold on to a draw in the first game of the tie-breaker with black, but Yi emerged victorious in the second even though the Indian played with white. Earlier, both the players had drawn the two classical games which led to the match entering rapid tie-breaks.
The tie-breakers, which allow 15 minutes on clocks to both players with 10 seconds increments on offer for each move, started with a draw in the first game on Wednesday. Arjun got into a worse position out of the opening with black and was put under pressure by Yi who was seeded seventh for the vent. The Indian still managed to eke out a stalemate.
However, in the second game, Arjun could not take advantage of his white pieces and lost in 79 moves.
This is now the second successive World Cup where Arjun has been unable to clear the quarterfinal hurdle. Earlier in 2023, Arjun had crashed out at the same stage after a loss to countryman Praggnanandhaa.
Apart from being the only Indian remaining in the fray, Arjun was also the highest-ranked player still alive in the World Cup, which will send its best three players to the FIDE Candidates 2026.
From India, only Praggnanandhaa has qualified for the Candidates, an eight-player tournament whose winner gets to challenge the world champion. Arjun’s loss could mean that Praggnanandhaa remains the only Indian in Candidates which takes place next year.
India entered the home World Cup with 24 players in fray but only Erigaisi could it make it to the last eight and now the semifinals will be played without anyone from the host country competing.