Heartbreak For Arjun Erigaisi Again! Indian GM Exits FIDE World Cup After QF Tiebreak Loss To Wei Yi

Last Updated:November 19, 2025, 18:01 IST

Arjun Erigaisi exits the FIDE World Cup in Goa after losing to Wei Yi in rapid tiebreaks, ending India’s campaign and Candidates hopes; Wei Yi advances to the semifinals.

It’s heartbreak for Arjun Erigaisi again.

India’s final hope at the FIDE World Cup in Goa bowed out on Wednesday as the 20-year-old grandmaster fell to China’s Wei Yi in the rapid tiebreaks of a tense quarter-final showdown.

The classical portion of their match had been a cagey affair. Two games, two draws, and barely an inch offered by either side. That meant everything came down to Wednesday’s rapid tiebreakers: 15 minutes each, a 10-second increment per move, and absolutely no room for nerves.

How The Tiebreaks Unfolded

Erigaisi held with Black in the first rapid game. But in the second, with White and a spot in the semifinals on the line, he faltered. Wei Yi pounced with clinical precision, taking the game and the match.

With Arjun’s exit, India’s campaign at the World Cup officially comes to an end. More importantly, it shuts the door on all three Candidates spots available to the top finishers at this event — meaning no additional Indian player will qualify through the World Cup route.

There’s now a very real possibility that R Praggnanandhaa will be the country’s only representative in the eight-man Candidates Tournament, which will determine who challenges reigning World Champion D Gukesh for the title.

For now, it’s Wei Yi who marches on, and Arjun who is left to gather himself once more.

(more to follow…)

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More

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