GM Arjun Erigaisi missed a promising middlegame opportunity and settled for a draw against GM Wei Yi in Game 2 of their FIDE World Cup 2025 quarterfinal, pushing the contest into a tiebreak.
After a short draw with black on Monday, Arjun pressed for a win with white and appeared to gain the advantage, but he opted for a safe queen move instead of the engine-recommended bishop sacrifice. Wei defended accurately, leaving no winning chances. Arjun will start Wednesday’s rapid tiebreak with black and remains the favourite. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Yakubboev became the first semifinalist after eliminating Germany’s GM Alexander Donchenko.