FIDE World Cup: Harikrishna goes down in round 5 tiebreak; India’s hope rests on Arjun Erigaisi
India’s future in the FIDE World Cup 2025 hinges on GM Arjun Erigaisi after GM P Harikrishna lost in a tiebreak against GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara on Sunday. Earlier, Arjun beat former two‑time champion Levon Aronian 1.5‑0.5 in the two classical games, giving him a safe margin. Harikrishna had to win the tiebreak because he and Martinez drew both classical matches. The first two rapid rounds, each with a 15‑minute clock, also ended in a tie.
In the next set of rapid games with a 10‑minute clock, Harikrishna sought a win with the whites, even adding a bit of time after 14 moves. Martinez counter‑attacked and slowly gained the upper hand after the Indian traded queens. In a 59‑move rook‑pawn endgame, Martinez edged out a win. Harikrishna’s second game was a must‑win with the blacks, but he could only draw and was knocked out after 30 moves.
Other tiebreaks saw GM Sam Shankland beat former world rapid champion GM Daniil Dubov, while GM Andrey Esipenko clinched the spot by winning the first rapid game with the white pieces and drawing the second with the black. Germany’s GM Alexander Donchenko took the final quarterfinal spot by defeating Vietnam’s GM Le Quang Liem.
Looking ahead to the quarterfinals, Arjun will face Chinese GM Wei Yi, Shankland is set to play Esipenko, and Martinez will meet GM Javokhir Sindarov. The World Cup 2025 race is now down to the wire, with India’s success depending on one top Asian talent.
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