India’s campaign at the FIDE World Cup 2025 has narrowed to a single torchbearer after GM P. Harikrishna exited in a tense Round 5 tiebreak against GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara on Sunday.
With Harikrishna bowing out, the nation’s hopes now rest solely on second seed GM Arjun Erigaisi, who continues his impressive march into the quarterfinals. Arjun entered the last-eight stage on the back of a commanding performance against two-time World Cup champion GM Levon Aronian, defeating the Armenian 1.5–0.5 in the classical games. While Arjun advanced with authority, Harikrishna was drawn into the unpredictability of tiebreaks after both classical encounters against Martinez ended in hard-fought draws.
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The early rapid tiebreaks two games with a 15-minute time control also failed to separate the two, leading the match into the faster 10-minute rapid segment. Playing with white in the first of these, Harikrishna opted for a prepared line, gaining almost a minute on the clock by move 14 and signalling his intent to press for victory. But Martinez responded with precision, gradually steering the game into calmer waters before taking control.
The turning point came when Harikrishna traded queens in search of clarity, only to find himself defending a difficult rook-and-pawn endgame. Martinez converted with clinical accuracy after 59 moves, leaving the Indian grandmaster in a must-win situation in the second rapid game.
Needing a victory with black to stay alive, Harikrishna tried to create imbalances but found no breakthrough. Martinez kept the position stable, and after 30 moves secured the draw that ended Harikrishna’s World Cup run.
Elsewhere in the tiebreaks, GM Sam Shankland moved past former world rapid champion GM Daniil Dubov by winning the first rapid game. GM Andrey Esipenko defeated GM Aleksey Grebnev with white and held comfortably with black to progress. The final quarterfinal berth went to Germany’s GM Alexander Donchenko, who overcame Vietnam’s GM Le Quang Liem.
The quarterfinals, scheduled for Monday, promise high-quality battles. Arjun Erigaisi will take on China’s dynamic GM Wei Yi in one of the marquee clashes of the round.
Shankland will face Esipenko, while Martinez fresh off his win over Harikrishna meets GM Javokhir Sindarov.
