FIDE World Cup: Heartbreak for India as Arjun eliminated; Wei Yi, Esipenko, and Sindarov join Yakkuboev in the Semifinals
Four draws yesterday left three semi-final spots undecided and brought six players to what may be the most stressful point of the World Cup so far. With everything riding on the rapid and blitz tiebreaks, the atmosphere in the hall was tense long before the clocks started. Spectators filled the room early, aware that today would determine who would keep their Candidates hopes alive. When the day concluded, Wei Yi, Javokhir Sindarov and Andrey Esipenko all won their matches, joining Nodirbek Yakkuboev who had qualified the previous day. It was also a heartbreaking afternoon for Indian fans as Arjun Erigaisi, the last remaining home player, was knocked out by Wei Yi. Before play began, the ceremonial first move was made on Board 1 of Martínez vs. Sindarov by Mr. Jayant Chaudhary, Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India. With pressure high across all boards, here is how the quarterfinal tiebreak battles unfolded. QuarterfinalsTiebreak Results Arjun Erigaisi ½-1½ Wei Yi José Eduardo Martínez Alcántara 1½ -2½ Javokhir Sindarov Andrey Esipenko 3-1 Sam Shankland Wei Yi (2752) vs Arjun Erigaisi (2773)After yesterday’s classical game, in which the Chinese Grandmaster missed key moves and gave his opponent a chance to strike, Wei Yi made sure not to allow Arjun Erigaisi the same opportunity again. Arriving first to the hall today, he looked composed and focused, not a single leg shake, and ready to fight from game one. In the Steinitz Variation of the French Defense, Wei Yi, with the White pieces, launched an early kingside assault, steering the game into the kind of sharp tactical battle that suits his style and attacking instincts. The position was easy for Black to mishandle, and Arjun did exactly that after spending six minutes (a significant amount of time in rapid) selecting the worst move: Black has just played 10…f6?, allowing White to ignore the threat on the knight and play the immediate 11.Qh5!, followed by capturing on c5 and planting the queen on g6 for a direct assault on the king. Instead, Wei Yi chose 11.exf6, and after 11…Rxf6, Black remained worse, but the attack was at least more manageable. Eventually, White picked up the exchange on move 14, although, according to chess engines castling long first offered him the decisive advantage. Still, Wei Yi played with impressive accuracy up to a certain point but let his advantage slip away in time pressure. With the bishop pair, Arjun managed to simplify into equality and save the game with a draw. It was already a nerve-wracking start, and then came game two. A Petroff Defense where both players appeared well prepared led to a queenless middlegame. Though the young Indian Grandmaster seemed to be faring better than in the first encounter, he overpressed and struggled to coordinate his pieces. Indian fans may have felt relieved when the position liquidated into a stable endgame, until a critical moment unfolded and one lost tempo tilted the balance decisively: Here, Erigaisi played 41.Rf2+?, allowing 41…Bf5 42.Rb2 a6 43.d6 Ke6 44.Rd2 Bd3. The check was unnecessary; better was 41.Rb2 immediately, followed by 41…a6 42.d6 Bf5 43.Rd2. If 42…Ke6, then 43.Bb7 holds, as Black’s rook checks are harmless due to the bishop on d3. Another key moment, and Arjun’s final chance to save the game, came just a few moves later. Here Wei Yi erred with 46…Rh7? (when 46…Kd7 was stronger, as it freezes White’s pieces entirely). Arjun, playing with less than a minute, needed to find 47.Rd5, keeping the rook active and defending the pawn. Instead, he played 47.Bc6?, allowing 47…Rh3+ 48.Bf3 Bd3, leaving the White rook shut out of the game. Black collected the d-pawn and eventually created a passed pawn on the queenside. After rooks were exchanged, the resulting bishop endgame was hopeless for White. Still, they played all the way to checkmate. In the post-game interview, when asked whether he considered himself the favourite in tiebreaks (especially given his strong rapid rating of 2758 compared to Arjun’s 2708), Wei Yi was humble. He pointed out that one cannot assume superiority over Arjun in any format because he is so strong. Now the highest-rated player remaining in the event, Wei stated that he would prepare and approach the upcoming games normally, as any semifinal opponent would have to be strong to reach this stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U04jf-HzV7Q Javokhir Sindarov (2721) vs José Eduardo Martínez Alcántara (2644) The match between these two rising stars began with an unexpected twist when Martínez, with the White pieces, opened with 1.b3. Sindarov, visibly surprised and shaking his leg in his chair, took a moment before responding, entering a structure he seemed unhappy with, made worse by falling behind on the clock. A critical moment appeared when Black, already slightly worse, played the losing move 35…Rf7? Keeping the rook on the back rank with 35…Re8 would have been better. Placed awkwardly and with the e2-bishop unprotected while White threatened Nd8, Black’s the position quickly deteriorated. Following a forced sequence, Martínez emerged an exchange up. Jose Eduardo was in full control in resulting endgame, with a dominant queen and rook duo on the 7th rank. A checkmate was soon inevitable, and Sindarov resigned, putting himself in a must-win situation. In his post-match interview, Sindarov admitted he was very upset with himself after the first game and gave himself a pep talk to play well in the second, and he delivered. Game two featured a symmetrical English Opening where the early phase already favoured the Uzbek talent. Martínez played aggressively and sacrificed a pawn, creating some activity on the kingside, but Sindarov handled the pressure, converted his material advantage, and eventually wove a mating net to equalize the score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbha_64yGZc Their first 10+10 rapid game, while drawn, was far from dull. Martínez launched a queenside pawn storm, while Sindarov countered on the kingside. Sindarov missed a chance to gain a clear advantage by shifting focus to defense instead of pushing his own attack. The game equalized once