Veteran Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna crashed out of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 on Sunday after losing to Mexico’s Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara in the Round 5 tiebreaks in Goa.
His exit makes him the 23rd Indian player eliminated, leaving Arjun Erigaisi as the only Indian still standing in the knockout marathon.
India’s World Cup campaign has unravelled rapidly. Reigning World Champion D. Gukesh bowed out in Round 3 after misjudging a tricky knight endgame against Frederik Svane.
That same round claimed Vidit Gujrathi and S.L. Narayanan. Round 4 brought the tournament’s biggest shock: the departure of R. Praggnanandhaa, the No. 3 seed and 2023 finalist.
Forced into tiebreaks by Daniil Dubov, Pragg over-pressed with White in the second rapid
game and Dubov’s ruthless counterattack sent him home. Pranav V and Karthik Venkataraman also exited.
With the top three finishers punching tickets to the 2026 Candidates, the Round of 16 is the crucial gateway — and India now has just one contender.
That one is Arjun Erigaisi, who delivered a brilliant win over Levon Aronian, the two-time World Cup champion. After drawing the first game, Arjun cornered Aronian’s king on h1 and unleashed a coordinated queen–bishop–knight attack that forced resignation on move 38.
“It was a tense middle game. I didn’t know if I was better,” Arjun said. “But when he played knight e3 and offered a draw, I was confident I could win because he was happy with a draw.”
Arjun, one of only two top-10 seeds still in the event, now awaits the winner of Wei Yi vs. Samuel Sevian.
Wei Yi advanced shortly after, beating Sevian in 73 moves. Uzbekistan also enjoyed a strong day: Nodirbek Yakubboev defeated Gabriel Sargissian in 35 moves, while Javokhir Sindarov overcame Frederik Svane in 47.
Harikrishna’s own match ended far more quietly. Playing White, he probed for chances, but Alcantara defended flawlessly, and the players repeated moves after 35.
With both classical games drawn, the contest moved to rapid tiebreaks — where the Mexican GM proved sharper and sealed Harikrishna’s elimination.
Indian Results, Round 5 (Game 2):
• Arjun Erigaisi beat Levon Aronian (0.5–1.5 aggregate)
• P. Harikrishna drew with Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (1–1 aggregate; lost in tiebreaks)
(with PTI inputs)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-176320003529950218.webp)
