FIDE World Cup: Rising stars Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa ready to bounce back

The past two years have been very successful for Indian chess, with growing interest in the game, many players achieving strong results, and chess becoming a full-time professional sport.

The past two years have been very successful for Indian chess, with growing interest in the game, many players achieving strong results, and chess becoming a full-time professional sport.

Although no Indians are left in the FIDE World Cup, this situation can actually motivate young players like Arjun and Praggnanandhaa to come back even stronger, especially with their age on their side.

Praggnanandhaa is expected to qualify for the Candidates tournament, though the official announcement will come in January. Unlike last time, he will be India’s only representative in this top biennial event. In the previous edition, both D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi had also qualified, with Gukesh famously becoming the youngest-ever world champion at just 18 years old.

While Praggnanandhaa will be the center of attention, Arjun also has a big challenge ahead as he will face Magnus Carlsen and other top players in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, set to take place in Cape Town in less than three weeks. After that, both Arjun and Praggnanandhaa will play in the World Rapid and Blitz, for which Carlsen is likely to participate as well.

The busy season for India’s top players, Gukesh, Arjun, and Praggnanandhaa, will take a short break in January after the traditional Tata Steel tournament, in which all three will compete.

Meanwhile, in the World Cup, three newcomers have a chance to qualify for the Candidates, as the last four remaining players have never played in this top event.

In the all-Uzbek semifinal, Javokhir Sindarov is slightly favoured over Nodirbek Yakubboev. Sindarov has said he would be happy if both he and Yakubboev qualify. This could happen if the losing semifinalist wins the match for third place.

In the other semifinal, Andrey Esipenko will face Wei Yi. Wei Yi, known for his skill in faster games, will be the favorite if the match goes to shorter time controls. However, Esipenko has shown strong nerves and this matchup will be exciting for chess fans.

Quarterfinal results:

• Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) beat Alexander Donchenko (GER) 1.5-0.5

• Arjun Erigaisi (IND) lost to Wei Yi (CHN) 1.5-2.5

• Andrey Esipenko (FID) beat Sam Shankland (USA) 4-2

• Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) beat Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara 3.5-2.5