Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral Sports Desk
The FIDE World Cup 2025 continued to produce tense battles as GM Arjun Erigaisi and GM Wei Yi drew their second classical game, sending their quarterfinal match into a rapid tiebreak. After a quick draw with Black on Monday, Arjun pressed harder with White and managed to gain a promising advantage in the middle game.
Engines even suggested a decisive bishop sacrifice that could have tilted the match in his favor, but Arjun opted for the quieter Qd2, allowing Wei Yi to regroup and defend accurately. With the classical segment ending 1–1, Arjun will begin the tiebreak with the Black pieces and is still considered one of the favourites in the faster format.
Two more quarterfinals are also headed to tiebreaks. GM Andrey Esipenko and GM Sam Shankland split the point after 37 moves, while GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara and GM Javokhir Sindarov wrapped up their game in just 18 minutes, agreeing to a draw after 25 moves to level the match.
The only decisive qualification of the day came from Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, who secured his semifinal spot with a composed 57-move draw against GM Alexander Donchenko, having already won the first game with White. With one semifinalist confirmed and three spots still up for grabs, the tiebreaks promise high-stakes action as the tournament intensifies.
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