Arjun Erigaisi defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in the quarter-finals at the chess tournament of the ongoing Esports World Cup, in Riyadh. The win saw Erigaisi reach the semi-finals, and now he has serious chances of winning gold. In his quarter-final match, he had use all his grit and determination to seal a 2.5-1.5 victory in a four-game thriller against the Russian GM.
The encounter began with a draw and then the Indian GM got the win in the second game with black pieces. Then his opponent won the third, setting up a decider. In the fourth game, the Indian found some good moves in the middle game, which gave him the advantage and Nepomniachtchi resigned after the 41st move.
Also Read: Magnus Carlsen smiles as Nihal Narin rejects draw offer, then dominates Indian GM: ‘I just got completely crushed today’
Who will Arjun Erigaisi face next?
In the semi-finals, Erigaisi will face Alireza Firouzja, who beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov 3-1 in his quarter-final match. Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen will face Hikaru Nakmura in the semi-finals too. Carlsen crushed Indian GM Nihal Sarin, taking a 2.5-0.5 victory, winning the second and third games. On the other hand, Nakamura defeated his countryman Fabiano Caruana 2.5-1.5 in his quarter-final fixture. Unlike the group stage, the knockout stages are all four-game matches.
Speaking after his defeat to Carlsen, Sarin conceded that he was totally overpowered by the world No. 1. “Of course, I just got completely crushed today, but yeah, I mean, I for sure could have played better. I think for the first one and a half game, I was matching him or maybe playing even better,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking after his defeat to Carlsen, Sarin conceded that he was totally overpowered by the world No. 1. “Of course, I just got completely crushed today, but yeah, I mean, I for sure could have played better. I think for the first one and a half game, I was matching him or maybe playing even better,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I mean, he’s Magnus for a reason.
“I’m just very happy to play against Magnus; he’s my biggest inspiration. It’s my first time getting to play him in a match. I wish him good luck,” he further added.
There was also a point in the second game when Carlsen offered a draw by repetition, which Sarin rejected.