Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Goa
The quarterfinals of the FIDE World Cup is a landmark stage for Indian chess players. In the previous edition of the event in 2023, four of them reached the last eight, which announced to the world the arrival of the new generation. Historic and bigger things followed. The same stage of the competition will remain a moment of sadness for them. Following the defeat of Arjun Erigaisi, the Indian challenge in World Cup 2025 got over on Wednesday.
Playing against Wei Yi of China in the tie-breakers following two draws in the classical format, Erigaisi saved the first rapid game from a seemingly lost position with black pieces. The experts doing live commentary from a packed Fan Zone were of the opinion that it was a huge psychological boost for him ahead of the second game where he had white. The position was equal for a long time before it came all crashing down for the Indian.
It was a massive blow for Erigaisi as well as India. This was the last chance for him to qualify for next year’s Candidates Championship. He didn’t make the cut last year when three of his compatriots qualified and D Gukesh won it before going on to win the World Championship. The top three from the World Cup go the Candidates. Having reached a career-best world ranking of three earlier this year and crossed the 2800 mark in ELO ratings for a period, he was expected to go through. That was not to be and now, R Praggnanandhaa could be the only Indian to make it to the elite, eight-player competition. It must have been a crushing blow for the 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh.
India versus China was a talking point in world chess just about year ago, when Gukesh beat Ding Liren to become the youngest-ever world champion. Ironically, it was another Chinese who ended India’s hopes on the coast of Goa. Wei played like a machine and found the most accurate moves even under time pressure to eke out a famous win. He was supposed to be under pressure after letting a winning position slip in the first rapid game, but showed no signs of it and broke through from an apparently drawn position to crush Erigaisi’s hopes.
There was a lot of fanfare for this game and the presence of schoolchildren, who were allowed free entry, livened up the area. The Fan Zone erupted in joy when Erigaisi drew the first game under acute pressure. There was hope building and even though not in big numbers, the crowd was preparing for a celebration. The stage was set and the home favourite didn’t look like losing for quite some time. When it became evident that he was down and his position was getting worse, there was silence and gasps of despair.
There is not much of a difference between the players when it comes to classical format. Erigaisi is seventh in the world and Wei 11th. But in rapid, the reading is different. The Chinese is fourth in that format and the Indian 16th. Although Erigaisi had beaten Wei in rapid in Norway Chess earlier this year, the superiority of his rival became clear when it mattered more. The youngster will need time to come back from this as he can only watch from a distance as others compete in the Candidates.
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