"VAN" (Sports Desk - 18.11.2025) :: The quarterfinals have arrived at the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa, and the stakes could not be higher. Eight players remain, none of whom have qualified for the FIDE Candidates before. The field is a mix of seasoned super grandmasters and inspired underdogs, all of whom have battled tiebreaks on their journey here. Today, with no easy matchups and everyone hungry for a breakthrough, the questions were simple: Who would strike first? Who would hold their nerve?
Some players opted for safety from the start: Wei Yi vs Arjun Erigaisi saw lightning-fast preparation and 99% accuracy from both sides, ending in a draw within an hour. Whereas Nodirbek Yakubboev vs Alexander Donchenko saw a chaotic game, and the only decisive one of the day.
The atmosphere was calm but charged. The ceremonial first moves, 1.Nf3 d5, were played on Board 2 (Wei Yi vs. Arjun Erigaisi) by Shri Alok Kumar, IPS, Director-General of Police of Goa, and Gourav Rakshit, Global Chess League Commissioner.
Quarterfinals Game 1 results:
- Javokhir Sindarov ½–½ José Eduardo Martínez Alcántara
- Wei Yi ½–½ Arjun Erigaisi
- Sam Shankland ½–½ Andrey Esipenko
- Nodirbek Yakubboev 1–0 Alexander Donchenko
Responses
Leave your comment