Overview
- After two drawn classical games, Wei Yi won their quarterfinal tiebreak by drawing the first rapid and taking the second in 79 moves.
- Arjun escaped a lost position in the first rapid with Black, but a later error under time pressure in the second game proved decisive.
- Wei Yi advances to face Andrey Esipenko in the semifinals, after Esipenko defeated Sam Shankland in tiebreaks.
- The other semifinal pairs Nodirbek Yakubboev, who beat Alexander Donchenko 1.5–0.5 in classical, against Javokhir Sindarov, who advanced via tiebreaks over Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara.
- Arjun’s exit means no additional Indian will qualify for the 2026 Candidates via the World Cup, leaving R Praggnanandhaa as the likely sole Indian entrant through other paths.