The FIDE World Cup in Goa reached a boiling point today as four intense tiebreak matches unfolded, each with a place in the quarterfinals on the line. With no more second chances and yesterday’s classical draws setting the stage, today’s rapid and blitz battles brought drama, tension, and decisive outcomes across the board.
Before the games began, the ceremonial first move was made for Lê Quang Liêm on Board 2, by Mr. Kedar J Naik, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Goa and Chairman of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation.
Sam Shankland and Andrey Esipenko secured clean wins early in the first rapid portion against Daniil Dubov and Alexey Sarana respectively, while José Martínez defeated Pentala Harikrishna in the 10+10 rapid. Alexander Donchenko took Lê Quang Liêm into blitz territory before stamping his ticket to the next round. The quarterfinal lineup is now complete, and as the dust settled, four more players advanced with confidence and momentum on their side.
Round of 16 tiebreaks results:
- Daniil Dubov 1-3 Sam Shankland
- Andrey Esipenko 2.5-1.5 Aleksey Grebnev
- José Martinez 3.5-2.5 Harikrishna Pentala
- Alexander Donchenko 4.5-3.5 Lê Quang Liêm
Here’s how the day played out:
Daniil Dubov – Sam Shankland
In earlier interviews, Daniil Dubov made no secret of his strategy: to steer matches into tiebreaks. As a former World Rapid Champion, he felt this format played to his strengths. He also claimed that playing solidly with White and pushing with Black was the best way to capitalize on opponent’s overextending.
But today, Sam Shankland flipped that plan on its head. Playing White in the first rapid game, he unleashed a novelty in the opening that led to an imbalanced position and early initiative on his side. With pressure mounting and the clock on his side, Shankland methodically limited Dubov’s options. Dubov, rarely short of creative ideas, struggled to find counterplay and instead fell into mistake after mistake, resulting in a convincing win for the American.
The second game, a symmetrical English, saw early queen exchanges and a dry position that offered little for either side. A draw seemed impending, but Dubov overpushed in the endgame, losing the game and with it, his World Cup run came to an end.
After the match, Shankland reflected on reaching the quarterfinals once before in 2021, a run that ended painfully at the hands of Sergey Karjakin in tiebreaks. “That’s haunted me ever since,” he admitted, adding that he now hopes to “banish the demon” for good.
Andrey Esipenko – Alexey Grebnev
It raised eyebrows when Andrey Esipenko took relatively quick draws in his classical games against Arseniy Grebnev. But if anyone doubted his strategy, the first rapid game removed all uncertainty. After a Petroff turned into a wild opposite-side castling battle, Esipenko seized the initiative by move 14 and was in complete control by move 20. It was a dominant win.
The second game was a stark contrast and stretched all the way to move 145. Esipenko, now with Black, came out of the opening in a stable position. When it looked like both players were shuffling pieces with no progress, Esipenko made a bold choice to open up the queenside. This ambition backfired with a missed tactic, and suddenly Grebnev was up a pawn. But nerves kicked in and Grebnev misplayed the critical move order and let Esipenko seize control once more
The game soon turned into a technical endgame with each side down to a rook and Grebnev holding two pawns to Esipenko’s one. Esipenko, calm and prepared, navigated the position to a theoretical draw. Ironically, by move 145, both players had more time on their clocks than they did on move 50.
With this match victory, Esipenko reached the deepest stage of a FIDE World Cup in his career.
Harikrishna Pentala – José Martinez
This was widely expected to be the longest match of the day, especially after the first two rapid games ended in uneventful draws. Much of the chatter centered around José Martínez’s reputation as a blitz expert, regularly beating the world’s best online. That meant Harikrishna’s best chances were in the rapid phase.
In their first rapid game, the players entered a Richter-Rauzer Sicilian and while both appeared prepared, a few subtle inaccuracies left Harikrishna with isolated doubled pawns and passive pieces. Martínez, whose pieces worked seamlessly together, activated his rooks and pushed the kingside majority. The result was a smooth breakthrough and the first decisive game of their match – a must-win situation for Harikrishna in game two.
In the second game, Harikrishna opted for an offbeat Caro-Kann with …Na6 on the third move, likely intending to avoid his opponent’s preparation. The opponents quickly entered unexplored territory and a critical position arose at move 21:
Harikrishna quickly played 20…Nd3?, a move which our commentator Peter Leko exclaimed is a good move if it does not lose. Martinez had to see the important move 21.g4! and after 21…Qe4 suddenly 22.Bxf7+ gives White a huge advantage as capturing is not possible due to Ng5. Instead, Martinez played 21.Rad1 and the position became equal once more. In his post-game interview, he acknowledged seeing this line but decided to not enter the complications.
Even so, the move g4 was played a few turns later, this time with full effect. Harikrishna erred instantly and Martinez seized a decisive advantage. With everything in hand, Jose chose a threefold repetition to seal the draw and punch his ticket to quarterfinals.
In his interview, Martinez issued a spirited challenge to the field: “Those who want to go far in this World Cup have to get through me.” With his confidence and composure, it’s easy to see why he’s becoming one of the breakout names of the tournament.
Alexander Donchenko – Lê Quang Liêm
The last match of the day to finish briefly seemed like it would actually be the first match to finish after Alexander Donchenko struck first with the black pieces. After yesterday’s tense and heartbreaking draw where one misstep in the endgame cost Alexander Donchenko immediate entry to the quarterfinals, it was interesting to see how he would perform today, in his very first tiebreak.
He opted for the Grünfeld, and although Lê Quang accepted structural weaknesses in exchange for initiative, Donchenko calmly turned those doubled pawns into a winning passed pawn and closed out the game under time pressure.
Needing a win, Lê Quang played the Modern in game two and launched an ambitious kingside pawn storm. At one point, the match hung in the balance; a critical bishop sacrifice was needed to secure a draw. Donchenko, however, failed to see this vital tactical line, an error that Lê Quang immediately exploited. He seized the opportunity to equalize, forcing the match into a blitz tiebreak.
The first blitz game finished quickly, even before Martinez concluded his interview! Both players, possibly tired, made a quick draw. A curious decision by Donchenko, who had the black pieces, as in all the games so far, Black was the winner!
Then came a decisive game two: a sharp Nimzo-Indian that began quietly before exploding tactically.
Donchenko exploited weaknesses on the kingside and capped the attack with the stunning 31.Qg7+! A move which he called a “cheap trick” secured him the decisive advantage after 31…Rxg7 32.fxg7 Kg8 33.Nf6+. They played on for a bit, Donchenko holding his nerves, eventually converting the win and being the final player to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Eight players now remain: Arjun Erigaisi, Wei Yi, Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Sam Shankland, Andrey Esipenko, José Martínez, and Alexander Donchenko. They’ve arrived here through a mix of classical wins and nail-biting tiebreaks. Tomorrow, the quarterfinals begin. With no easy matchups, no clear favourites, and the podium now within reach, we’re guaranteed to see top-level, fighting chess from every player. Stay tuned!
Game 1 of Round 6 will be played on November 17 at 3 PM local time.
The action can be followed live on the FIDE YouTube Channel, featuring expert commentary by GMs Jan Gustafsson and Peter Leko.
To watch the games in person, tickets can be purchased [HERE]
Written by WIM Charlize van Zyl (Goa, India)
Photos: Eteri Kublashvili
