Overview
- Playing Black, Erigaisi steered a risk-free 31-move draw against China’s Wei Yi in their first classical game in Goa.
- He will have White in Tuesday’s second game, with rapid or blitz tiebreaks to decide the match if the classical mini-match stays level.
- Pentala Harikrishna was eliminated by Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara in Round 5 tiebreaks, leaving Erigaisi as India’s only remaining player.
- In the other quarterfinals, Nodirbek Yakubboev defeated Alexander Donchenko, while Sindarov–Martinez and Shankland–Esipenko ended in draws.
- The World Cup grants three places in the 2026 Candidates in Cyprus, making every result in the last eight pivotal.